CAMDEN, N.J. (March 11, 2021) – With second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference standings up for grabs here Thursday night, the Rutgers University-Camden and Montclair State University volleyball teams staged an epic battle.
 
In the end, the Red Hawks barely outlasted the Scarlet Raptors in a five-set marathon, 3-2. Montclair State won by scores of 25-27, 25-18, 23-25, 25-16 and 15-12.
 
The teams had entered the match with identical 2-1 records overall and in the NJAC. Montclair State improves to 3-1 overall and in conference play, while Rutgers-Camden slips to 2-2 and 2-2.
 
The first set gave a preview of what was in store as the teams battled through 13 tie scores and two lead changes before the Scarlet Raptors finally won, 27-25. The biggest leads of the set were three-point margins by the Scarlet Raptors at 7-4 and 9-6.
 
Montclair State evened the match with a 25-18 win in the second set, which featured five ties and one lead change. The Red Hawks took the lead for good at 15-14 and held their largest lead at the final score.
 
The third set was another tight contest, with Rutgers-Camden jumping off to a 7-1 lead before Montclair State fought back to tie the score at 23-23. The Scarlet Raptors closed out the set with the final two points.
 
Down, 2-1 in sets, Montclair State evened the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth set. The Red Hawks took the lead for good with a five-point run to break a 6-6 tie and increased their margin to 20-9 at one point. The final set was another tight one, being tied at 10-10 before the Red Hawks scored five of the final seven points.
 
Junior outside hitters Leah Higgins and Carly Waterman had 15 kills apiece for the Red Hawks, while freshman middle blocker Skylar Kowalski added 10 kills and hit .500. Freshman setter Kelly Waterman collected 44 assists and sophomore libero Maddie Valko had a stellar game with 30 digs.
 
Rutgers-Camden received three double-doubles, with freshman outside hitter Erica Nebrich notching 15 digs and 11 kills, while junior outside hitter Delaney Kolb collected 13 kills and 11 digs. Junior setter Brinn Hassan notched 36 assists and 12 digs, while adding three service aces.
 
Junior libero Morgan Fox had another strong performance with 20 digs and four assists, while junior defensive specialist Haley Novak had nine digs and one service ace.
 
The Scarlet Raptors collected 22 block assists as a team, with freshman outside hitter Dyamond Free and junior middle hitter Devyn Cobb collecting seven apiece.
 
The Scarlet Raptors close their brief regular season at Kean University Tuesday at 7 p.m. The NJAC quarterfinals begin March 18.