MONTCLAIR, NJ - Rowan (23-2; 7-0) clinched the NJAC Regular Season Championship after a five-set win, 3-2, at Montclair State (19-7; 4-3) on Tuesday night. The win marks the first regular season conference title for the Profs since 2022.
Rowan took the first set, 25-23, then dropped the second set 25-21, and third, 25-16.Â
The Profs rallied back in the fourth set from a 24-21 deficit. A kill by
Jessica Smart and a Montclair State attack error earned back-to-back points for Rowan, forcing a Red Hawks' timeout.
Raven Albrecht delivered a service ace to force a deuce, and Rowan climbed back to win the set, 27-25, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.
The match stayed back-and-forth in the fifth, tied up until the 10-10 mark. From that point, Rowan went on a 4-0 run including kills by
Hutton Cordrey, Smart, and two errors by the Red Hawks. After allowing a point to make the score 14-11,
Ava Best tallied her ninth kill of the night to finish the set 15-11, and the match, 3-2.
Cordrey and Smart led Rowan in kills, both with 17. Cordrey added 13 digs and a block assist. Albrecht added 44 assists in the offensive efforts.
The win goes down as Rowan's first five-set win since September 24, 2022 against RIT. The Profs win streak, already a program record, has been extended to 21 games.
The Profs move on to visit Swarthmore on Thursday at 7 p.m. Rowan has clinched a bye through the quarterfinal round of the NJAC Tournament, and will now host the semifinal round on Thursday, November 12th. With the win, the Profs can now host the NJAC Championship game as well, which is set for Saturday, November 14th.Â
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