CAMDEN, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2021) – The abbreviated pandemic-altered 2020 volleyball season barely got started before it was over, but in their small seven-match season, the Rutgers University-Camden volleyball team got a promising look at the future.
 
Although the Scarlet Raptors finished with a 3-4 overall record, including a 1-1 playoff mark and a run to the New Jersey Athletic Conference semifinals, Rutgers-Camden received plenty of post-season accolades and returns a wealth of talented players.
 
The Scarlet Raptors finished fourth in the short 2020 season, which was held in March of 2021, and have been picked by the NJAC coaches to finish sixth this season. In the pre-season NJAC poll, released today, perennial champion Stockton University was tabbed as the conference favorite, receiving five of the nine first-place votes from NJAC coaches. Montclair State was tabbed for second, collecting two first-place votes. Kean was picked for third, ahead of the coaches' pick of Rowan as the NJAC's "dark horse" team, while Ramapo was tabbed for fifth place. Kean and Ramapo both received one first-place vote. Rounding out the pre-season poll behind Rutgers-Camden was Rutgers-Newark, New Jersey City and William Paterson.
 
2021 Rutgers-Camden schedule 
 
The Scarlet Raptors return a pair of NJAC Second Team stars in senior middle hitter Devyn Cobb and senior setter Brinn Hassan. Also returning is sophomore outside hitter/right side Erica Nebrich, who not only earned NJAC Honorable Mention last season, but also captured the NJAC Rookie of the Year honor.
 
The returning players include senior libero Morgan Fox, one of the best in the NJAC at her position. Returning seniors Delaney Kolb and Haley Novak, an outside hitter and defensive specialist, respectively, give the Scarlet Raptors plenty of experience and talent. Rutgers-Camden also will receive a huge lift from a pair of seniors who didn't play during the pandemic-shortened season with the return of two-year veterans Savannah Hayes (libero/defensive specialist) and Kayla Benesz (setter), while junior middle blocker/opposite Tatijana Liedman also returns to the program.
 
In addition to Nebrich, the Scarlet Raptors received a huge lift last season from freshmen Dyamond Free and Isabella Choice, a pair of tall forces near the net, and setter Isabella Tamburrino, a dual-sport athlete who also played on the Raptors' lacrosse team. Talented newcomers include sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Kaliyah Moss and freshman middle hitter/right side Kaitlyn Parrish.
 
Nebrich led the club in kills (57) during the spring season, while Cobb had 40 kills and team highs of 14 blocks and a .375 hitting percentage. Hassan collected a team-leading 199 assists and tied Nebrich for the club lead with 13 service aces. Fox, meanwhile, was the leader with 91 digs.
 
In addition to the promise of a stellar season, the Scarlet Raptors also have several milestones on the horizon. Hassan enters the season with 1,056 career assists, third on the program's all-time list and within range of her second-place sister Brooke, who had 1,227 assists from 2013-15. Hassan also is tied for 11th on the program's career chart with 106 aces, two behind 10th-place Sydney Allen (2012-15).
 
Cobb and Kolb, meanwhile, continue to climb the charts with 273 and 263 career kills, respectively, and should break into the top 15 (Marci Polite with 342 kills from 2006-08 is 15th) during the season. With 951 total attacks, Kolb will pass the 1,000 milestone early in the year, while Cobb brings 78 total career blocks into the season, good for 13th on the all-time chart. Tanesha Williams, with 84 blocks from 2001-02, sits in 12th place.
 
Another player climbing the career list is Fox, who owns 727 digs, good for ninth place, and within reach of becoming only the fourth Raptor to reach 1,000 career digs. With an average of 3.99 digs per set, Fox ranks third on that career list.
 
Guiding the talented team will be David Gurst, who returns for his seventh season as the Scarlet Raptors' head coach. His returning assistants include Paul Lano and former Raptor star Cait Marchlowitz, while another former Raptor standout, Melanie Kaiser, joins the coaching staff.
 
Rutgers-Camden opens its season on Wednesday, Sept. 1, when the Scarlet Raptors entertain Ursinus College at 7 p.m. Their first NJAC match comes Sept. 14 at Montclair State University.
 

1. Stockton (5)
2. Montclair State (2)
3. Kean (1)
4. Rowan (dark horse)
5. Ramapo (1)
6. Rutgers-Camden
7. Rutgers-Newark
8. New Jersey City
9. William Paterson