GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan University volleyball team swept the first day of the Profs Invitational on Friday September 7, 2018, as it won each match 3-0 against Penn State Abington and Keystone College.
Match One vs. Penn State Abington: 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-13)
In the first match, Rowan trailed early after falling behind 4-1 to the Nittany Lions. The Profs rallied back and scored the next three straight points off a kill by outside hitter
Kailey Gallagher (jr. Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), a Nittany Lion attack error and a service ace by defensive specialist
Emma Cormican (so. Wallingford, PA/Strath Havon), to tie the score at four. After back-to-back points from Penn State Abington, the Brown and Gold earned the next four points to take an 8-6 lead. Gallagher started the run with a kill, followed by two Nittany Lions errors. The last point was a kill from outside hitter
Natalie Ogden (fr. Downingtown, PA/Bishop Shanahan). Both teams kept the game close, but it was Rowan who held onto the victory and claimed set one, 25-23.
In set two, the Profs started slow as Penn State Abington jumped out to a 5-2 advantage. The Brown and Gold responded with four points to claim a 6-5 lead. Gallagher notched one kill, while Ogden hammered down one. Rowan continued to grow the lead as it earned six straight points and pulled ahead 12-6. The Nittany Lions cut the deficit midway through the set, 18-15, after outside hitter Samantha Link (fr. Southhampton/Archbishop Wood) and setter Lauren O'Keeffe (so. Yardly, PA/Notre Dame) each tallied a kill. The Profs closed out the second as they recorded the final five out of six points to win, 25-17.
In the final set, the Rowan offense started and finished hot. The Profs ended with a .261 hitting percentage and only committed three errors. The Brown and Gold started with to 5-1 lead and never looked back. The score doubled to 10-4, after a block from middle hitter
Jamie Shirtz (sr. Mendam, NJ/West Morris Mendham) and outside hitter
Erin Keegan (Fairfield, NJ/West Essex Reg.) and a service ace from Cormican. The Profs kept rolling as they pulled away, 21-10. The match was easily closed out on another ace by Cormican.
Gallagher finished with 11 kills, while Ogden added 10. Setter
Tori Mock (so. Chadds Ford, PA/Archmere Academy) paced the offense as she handed out 18 assists. Keegan finished with a team-high 16 digs, followed by setter
Alaina Santacroce (fr. Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) with 11.
Match Two vs. Keystone College: 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-11)
It was a hard-fought battle between the teams early on in the first set, as neither side had larger than a one-point lead. Keystone jumped ahead, 8-6, after it earned four straight points. After two errors by Rowan, outside hitter Kristen Larkin (sr. Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) and outside hitter Taylor Beatty (sr. Virginia Beach, VA/Ocean Lakes) hammered down a kill each to end the run. The Profs rallied back and eventually regained the lead 11-10 on a four-point streak, with kills from opposite hitter
Alexa Gasser (so. Broomall, PA/Villa Maria Academy), Gallagher and Keegan. The Brown and Gold picked up the pace and held onto its lead, winning the set one, 25-18.
Rowan slipped early in set two, as the Giants took a 5-0 advantage. Outside hitter Erika Schwoyer (so. Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) was the first to record a kill, followed by back-to-back points from Larkin. The Profs trailed for most of the match, until they scored six unanswered points to claim a 13-9 lead. Middle hitter
Lauren Horbacewicz (so. Toms River, NJ/Toms River E.), Gasser and Keegan all added a kill, while Horbacewicz and Gasser each tallied a block. The Brown and Gold kept the intensity high as it easily closed out the second, 25-17.
Rowan controlled the final set of the evening from start to finish. The Profs hopped out to an early lead of 5-2. Keystone continued to fight back after two kills from Beatty and Schwoyer, but it wasn't enough as the Rowan offense continued to dominate. The Brown and Gold went on a 10-1 rally to take a commanding 20-9 advantage. Rowan closed out the match easily with a final kill from Ogden to win, 25-11.
Gallagher and Ogden led the Rowan offense with seven kills apiece, while Keegan and Cormican controlled the defense with 11 digs each.
The Brown and Gold are back in action tomorrow as it finishes the final day of the Profs Invitational, with the first match set to start at 11 a.m. against Curry College and the second at 3 p.m. against Ursinus College.
