Volleyball ready to host NJAC tournament opener
CAMDEN, N.J. (Nov. 1, 2022) – When the Rutgers University-Camden volleyball team outlasted Montclair State University in Camden on October 11, the epic match did more than just give the Scarlet Raptors a big New Jersey Athletic Conference victory.
It also eventually decided the tie-breaker for getting a home match to begin the NJAC Championship Tournament. Rutgers-Camden will host Montclair State tonight at 7 p.m. in the NJAC quarterfinals.
Both teams finished NJAC play with 4-4 conference records, but the Scarlet Raptors earned the fourth seed due to their win over the Red Hawks during the regular season, a marathon match won by scores of 25-23, 23-25, 10-25, 25-22 and 22-20. Senior setter
Brinn Hassan set a single-match program record that night with 53 assists for the Scarlet Raptors, a mark she later tied against Gwynedd Mercy University October 20. The Scarlet Raptors received double-digit kills from four players, including juniors
Isabella Choice (16 kills),
Dyamond Free (14) and
Erica Nebrich (13), along with sophomore
Kaitlyn Parrish (11). Nebrich also had a match-high 26 digs, leading four Raptors with double-digit totals in that category. Seniors
Morgan Fox (17 digs) and
Haley Novak (14), along with freshman
Bella Craig (12) also had digs in double digits.
For Montclair State that night, senior Delaney St. Pierre had 44 assists and 15 digs.
The Scarlet Raptors' win that night was their first over Montclair State since 2015, snapping a string of six straight losses against the Red Hawks.
Rutgers-Camden lost against Kean University in last season's NJAC quarterfinals. The Scarlet Raptors posted a 3-0 NJAC quarterfinal win over New Jersey City University on March 18, 2021, in the pandemic-delayed "2020" season.
The Scarlet Raptors bring a 14-14 overall record into tonight's match, while Montclair State is 16-12 overall. Tonight's winner will play a 7 p.m. semifinal match Thursday at top-seeded Rowan University.
