Box Score

MONTCLAIR, NJ – Rutgers University-Newark could not come back from a slow start in a 3-1 New Jersey Athletic Conference loss to Montclair State in the Panzer Athletic Center.  Games scores were 25-17, 25-14, 12-25, 25-22.
 
Freshman outside hitter Karolina Kopacz paced the Scarlet Raiders (12-7, NJAC 2-4) with 13.5 points on 11 kills, an ace, a solo block and a blocking assist while junior middle blocker Sharee Gordon added eight kills, an ace, a solo block and a pair of blocking assists.
 
Freshman libero Sue Riley came up with a match-high 20 digs and sophomore defensive specialist Kathy Hormaza added 15 as the Raiders recorded 73 digs, but the Red Hawks (19-6, NJAC 4-2) won on the strength of a 49-32 edge in kills and a 12-5 advantage in aces.
 
Raider freshman setter Nathalie Breining was limited to a season-low 17 assists but she contributed two aces, two kills and a blocking assist.  Freshman Amber Borowski and Sydney Tuman notched four kills apiece.
 
Sophomores Melissa Tepstra and Leah Stine and freshman Madison Maute posted 10 kills each to lead a balanced Red Hawk attack.  Tepstra roped five of the Red Hawks' aces with Maute chipping in a pair.  Tepstra also made 17 digs while senior setter Angela Campo distributed 28 assists.
 
The loss dropped the Raiders into seventh place in the battle for six NJAC Championship Tournament slots with two matches remaining on Rutgers-Newark's league slate.
 
Rutgers-Newark hosts Ramapo College (17-8, NJAC 3-2) in a crucial match in The Golden Dome Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday.