Box Score

NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers University-Newark lost a 5-set New Jersey Athletic Conference battle to Rowan University in The Golden Dome Arena to see its 4-match winning streak ended.
 
Freshman outside hitter Karolina Kopacz paced the Scarlet Raiders (11-6, NJAC 2-3) with nine kills, four aces and 10 digs, but the resilient Profs (8-12, NJAC 3-2) rallied from behind in games one and two to stay in the fray which ended 25-22, 28-26, 17-25, 22-25, 15-10 in two hours and nine minutes.
 
Prof sophomore libero Jen Vorel delivered an ace start a 5-0 Rowan run to begin the fifth frame.  The Raiders whittled their deficit to 6-4 but could get no closer as they their record in 5-set decisions fell to 2-3 on the season.
 
Junior middle hitter Sharee Gordon notched eight kills, two solo blocks and a blocking assist for Rutgers-Newark while freshman setter Nathalie Breining dished out 31 assists, made 16 digs, served an ace and dumped in a career-high six kills while freshman libero Sue Riley tallied 28 digs and two aces.
 
Freshman outside hitter Samantha Renfree totaled nine kills while sophomore defensive specialist Kathy Hormaza came up with 15 digs and an ace.
 
Junior middle hitter Morgan Mende hammered down a match-high 20 kills to lead five Profs with double-digit points.  Junior outside hitter Danielle Havlicek, freshman setter Mary-Grace Testa and sophomore outside hitter Erica O'Hagan posted 11 kills apiece.  Testa distributed 30 assists, made 15 digs and roped two aces while Havlicek added a dozen digs, two aces and a pair of blocking assists.  Vorel finished with 22 digs and two aces.
 
There were 34 ties and 14 lead changes in the marathon.
 
Rutgers-Newark led 20-17 in game one before a pair of aces by Havlicek and two kills by Mende helped rally the Profs.  O'Hagan had five kills on just seven swings in the frame.
 
The Raiders were up in game two 24-20 after a block by sophomore Tabitha Davis and freshman Amber Borowski, but a Mende kill ignited a 4-point run by the Profs before Breining dumped in a kill to give Rutgers-Newark it's fifth game point.  Rowan gained its first game point at 26-25 on a block by Testa and junior middle hitter Maggie Catherina.  A Prof setting error followed by a Raider serving error set up the game-ending ace by O'Hagan which put Rowan firmly in control.  Mende had seven kills in the set.
 
Rutgers-Newark would not fold.  In the third set, Kopacz had three kills and an ace to lead a balanced attack as the Raiders rallied from an 11-6 deficit to get back into the match.
 
There were a dozen ties and four lead changes in the fourth game before a kill by Davis and a block by Gordon ignited a 4-point Raider run to put the home team at game point.  After an O'Hagan kill, an attack error leveled the match at two games apiece.  Kopazc tallied two kills and a pair of aces in the set.
 
Rowan jumped into sole possession of fourth place in the NJAC standings while the Raiders slipped into a sixth-place tie with William Paterson.  The top six teams earn berths in the league's championship tournament.
 
Rutgers-Newark hosts CCNY in a non-conference match in The Golden Dome Arena at 7 p.m. on Thursday.