ELIZABETHTOWN, PA – The Rowan University volleyball team rolled through the first day of the Blue Jay Classic, as it won matches against Cairn University, 3-0 and Alfred University, 3-1. The Profs move to 8-3 on the season.
Match One vs. Cairn University: 3-0 (25-6, 25-14, 25-14)
Rowan dominated the first set, winning by a large margin of 25-6. The team hit an outstanding .524% while committing no errors. The Brown and Gold jumped out to an early 12-1 lead over the Highlanders. Setter
Tori Mock (so. Chadds Ford, PA/Archmere Academy) aced the first two points, before Cairn notched its first of the set. The Profs rallied off the next 10 points with contributions from opposite hitter
Kailey Gallagher (jr. Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), outside hitter
Erin Keegan (sr. Fairfield, NJ/West Essex Reg.), outside hitter
Megan Jacobi (jr. Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) and middle hitter
Jamie Shirtz (sr. Mendham, NJ/West Morris Mendham). Rowan kept the intensity high throughout the opening set and scored the final six points for the win.
The Profs kept the momentum in set two, as they took an 8-2 lead. Jacobi got things started with a kill, followed by an ace from Shirtz. After a Cairn error, Gallagher and middle hitter
Lauren Horbacewicz (so. Toms River, NJ/Toms River E.) got the next point with a block, then Jacobi smashed two additional kills. The Brown and Gold kept the offensive pace up, as they widened its lead to 17-6. The Highlanders gave one last push to cut the deficit, but Rowan closed out the second set, 25-14.
Both teams battled it out in the final set, but it was the Profs who claimed a 25-14 victory. After the Brown and Gold jumped out to a 14-7 lead, Cairn fought back to trail 14-11. After a Rowan error, Caroline Bennett (fr. Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank Reg.) recorded a kill. Liz White (jr. Somerset,NJ/Timothy Christian School) and Bennett had a block and Brie Norton (jr. Elizabethtown, PA/Elizabethtown Area) produced an ace. The Profs buckled down to eventually take control and score the last nine points.
Jacobi led the Brown and Gold offense with nine kills and a .444% hitting percentage, while Keegan notched six with a .857 hitting percentage. Setter
Alaina Santacroce (fr. Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) ended with 15 assists and Mock dished 14. Libero
Emma Cormican (so. Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven) and Jacobi each finished with eight digs.
Match Two vs. Alfred University: 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-13)
Rowan slipped in the opening set, as it lost a close fought battle against the Saxons, 25-22. The Profs got redemption in the second, after they edged Alfred, 25-21. The Brown and Gold took a 18-10 lead after scoring eight straight points. Rowan held on to close out set two and tie the series at one.
Each team went toe-to-toe in the third, as neither side had larger than a two-point advantage. Alfred pulled away 18-13 when opposite hitter Sarah Raeman (so. Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) and setter Amanda Burns (so. Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush) scored back-to-back kills. Rowan fought back to claim a 20-19 lead. Horbacewicz started it with a kill, followed by a Keegan and Shirtz block. The comeback was rounded out by an ace from Keegan and a kill from Gallagher.
The Brown and Gold ran away in the final set, taking the fourth by a final score of 25-13. The score was tied at eight, before Rowan kicked into high gear and pulled away 14-8. The Profs kept the intensity rolling as the lead was extended to 21-10. The match was closed out when Rowan scored the final three points with contributions from Mock and Horbacewicz.
The Rowan offense was led by Jacobi who finished with 11 kills, followed by Gallagher with eight. Keegan finished with an impressive 23 digs and five aces.
The Profs' volleyball team plays again on Saturday, when it faces Eastern Mennonite University at 1 p.m. and Elizabethtown College at 3 p.m.
