NEWARK, N.J. (October 13, 2015) – Sophomore setter Nathalie Breining recorded the 1000th assist of her career, but the Rutgers University-Newark women's volleyball team dropped a 3-1 match to Montclair State University Wednesday night in The Golden Dome Arena.
 
The set scores were 25-21, 25-17, 24-26 and 25-13.
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 1-4 in New Jersey Athletic Conference play and 10-9 overall, and MSU improves to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in the NJAC.
 
The Scarlet Raiders swung .104 in the match, while MSU converted at a .156 clip. The Red Hawks had 58 kills and 32 errors, while the Raiders finished with 33 kills and 18 errors, hitting a match-best .192 in the second set. R-N registered 14 total blocks and 73 digs, with the guests recording six denials and 86 digs. Montclair St. had seven aces in the match.
 
MSU 25, R-N 21
Senior Sharee Gordon picked up the first three Scarlet Raider points of the match, putting down three big-time kills, but Montclair was able to take a 6-4 lead after 10 points.  An error and kill from freshman Cassie Luken pulled R-N even, and another error gave the hosts a 7-6 edge.
 
A 5-1 run from the Red Hawks helped them to an 11-8 margin, but the Scarlet Raiders answered with a 5-0 run to go on top 13-11. Freshman Jess Moy and Gordon tallied kills, and Breining picked up an ace.
 
The see-saw first continued with MSU re-taking control (19-16) thanks to a 4-0 rally that featured a block and a kill from senior Courtney LePore, forcing a Scarlet Raider timeout.
 
A Luken block after the timeout slowed some of the MSU momentum, and back-to-back blocks from Gordon forced a Red Hawk timeout with them clinging to a 22-21 edge.
 
R-N could not get over the hump after the timeout as the Red Hawks used two kills from junior Courtney Matlock to take a 1-0 lead in the match
 
MSU 25, R-N 17
Each team went on two separate 3-0 runs to start the second set and were tied 6-6 after 12 points and 12-12 after 24. The Raiders – who trailed 12-9 at one  point – used a 5-0 run to take a 14-12 lead after a Moy kill, but MSU responded  with a 5-0 rally of its own to go on top 17-14 and force a Rutgers timeout.
 
Two LePore kills after the break helped MSU to a 19-14 edge as the guests were able to close out the set with relative ease to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Gordon (three), Hormaza (two) and Moy led R-N with kills in the second.
 
R-N 26, MSU 24
Freshman Analis Capobianco helped the Scarlet Raiders to a 4-2 lead early in the third set with a strong service game and a Hormaza hammer.
 
A Moy kill pushed the hosts' to an 8-5 edge, and a Gordon block brought the lead back to three (12-9) after the guests had clawed back within one.
 
An error and Hormaza kill pushed the Raider lead to a set-high four points, forcing Montclair to call its second timeout of the match trailing 15-11.
 
Following the timeout, MSU scored eight of the next 12 points to tie things at 19 as Scarlet Raider coach Jason Madsen used one of his timeouts.
 
Moy's sixth kill of the match put the Scarlet Raiders on top 21-20, and after the Red Hawks tied, Moy did it again for a 22-21 lead.
 
MSU fought back, with R-N fighting off match point and getting a clutch kill from Luken to force a fourth set.
 
MSU 25, R-N 13
MSU raced out in front in the fourth, scoring the first seven points of the set. Junior Tabitha Davis registered a kill to get R-N on the board (7-1), with MSU getting to double-digits holding a 10-2 lead.
 
The Red Hawk lead swelled to 10 (12-2), but back-to-back blocks from Luken and Urbaez gave the Scarlet Raiders some life at 13-5. R-N would get within seven at 14-7, and again at 18-11, but could not get close enough to make the Red Hawks feel the heat in what ended up being a 25-13 set final.
 
Gordon led the Scarlet Raiders with nine kills and nine blocks, as Moy, Hormaza, Luken and Davis tallied six kills apiece. Luken finished with five blocks, while Breining finished with 17 assists. The sophomore now has 1,014 in her one-plus season on the squad. Sophomore Sue Riley led Rutgers with 25 digs, getting 11 from Hormaza and 10 from Davis.
 
Rutgers-Newark will return to action at Ramapo College Thursday in another important NJAC match.