GLASSBORO, NJ – The Rowan volleyball team defeated Kean, 3-1, in the semifinals of the NJAC Championship Tournament at Esby Gym to advance to the conference final. The second-seeded Profs will play at top-seeded Stockton at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, for the league championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Rowan (19-14) has now won six straight matches and eight of the last nine. The Profs received their first NCAA regional ranking this week at 10th in the New York Region.
 
Senior Kailey Gallagher hit .310 in the match and topped the Profs with 14 kills. Megan Jacobi posted 12 kills, Tori Mock had 50 assists and Natalie Ogden had 12 kills and 25 digs to lead the victory.
 
The Profs came out strong and led the entire first set, going up by as much as 14-8 before finishing out the opening set, 25-22.  The teams traded leads in the second set, but Rowan broke a 17-17 tie with six straight points to take a 23-17 advantage en route to the 25-19 win.
 
Kean took a 16-12 lead in the third set, but the Profs kept fighting back, and the teams would be tied five more times before the Cougars kept the match alive with a 25-22 win.
 
Rowan jumped out quickly again in the fourth, going up 10-3, and later, led by as much as 18-11. The Profs stayed in control and although Kean closed to within 23-19, Rowan finished out the set, 25-19, and the match.
 
"I just feel like we had the will to win. We came out determined and we attacked all night long. We didn't shy away from attacking the ball and trusted one another. I kept telling them that the team that executes is going to win and that's what they did," said Rowan head coach Deana Jespersen.
 
Rowan will be seeking its first NJAC title since 2004 and its seventh all-time.