The New York University women's volleyball team recorded a win over Montclair State University at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan on Friday, September 11. The Violets opened its Season-Opening Invitational with a four-set victory (29-31, 25-11, 25-20, 25-8).
In their first match of the weekend, NYU went ahead 6-3 before Montclair State erased the deficit to level the score 7-7. The Violets traded points with the Red Hawks evening out at 29-29 before Montclair State pulled ahead to close out the frame.
"Even though we felt like we had a chance to win, no one needs to panic." said Head Coach
Andrew Brown. "If we just flush it out, our numbers are going to shift automatically."
The Violets did not trail at any point in the second stanza, getting out to a 5-0 lead before the Red Hawks rallied to tie the score at 9-9. NYU responded with 11 consecutive points and went on to close the set with back-to-back service aces from
KylieEmma Obeto.
Set three was close early, with NYU leading 9-8, later recording a five-point run to take control at 14-8. The Red Hawks cut the deficit to two points. Both teams exchanged points before NYU pulled ahead with a kill-ace combo from
Coco Barton to take the frame.
NYU got out to a strong start in the final set with a 12-3 lead assisted by back-to-back kills from
Casey Cho and
Grace Nelson. The Violets extended the lead to a set-high 17-point lead to close out the match.
"We know that every team that comes in here is going to give us their best shot," added Brown. "It's going to create more opportunities to make strategic adjustments."
Lucianna Welles led the Violets with 14 kills, while Nelson and Cho added 12 and 11, respectively.
Alden Roberts launched 27 assists across four sets, while
Kate Scherlacher followed closely behind with 25.
Lily Leung accumulated 12 digs, followed by Scherlacher and
Sarah Beville, both adding eight.
The Violets return to action tomorrow, September 12, at the John A. Paulson Center, for the second day of the NYU Season-Opening Invitational. NYU's first match against the University of St. Thomas at 12:15 pm.
