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2014 Schedule/Results | NJAC Preseason Poll

NEWARK, N.J. (August 30, 2015) – Coming off a 17-win season and nice postseason run, the Rutgers University-Newark women's volleyball team has high expectations for the 2015 season.
 
The Scarlet Raiders went 17-12 in 2014, earning a win in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro/Upstate Championship.
 
"We made some progress last year, but we need to continue moving forward," head coach Jason Madsen said. "We want to use last season's experience but are focused on working hard and pushing each other if we want to make more noise in the conference and in the postseason."
 
A young team in 2014, Madsen and the R-N coaching staff has brought in a talented group of newcomers that will compete with the returners for playing time and increase options up and down the roster.
 
Senior middle blocker Sharee Gordon was a second-team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) pick last year and will be a staple for the Scarlet Raiders again this season. She is excellent at the net and has been tasked with being a leader as one of the only upperclassmen on the roster in 2015 and the team's lone senior. A coach on the floor after having been on the team for the last three years, Gordon led the team in points, kills, hitting percentage and blocks as a junior, while ranking second in the conference in denials per game at 1.08.
 
A trio of juniors will be returning to the Scarlet Raiders in defensive specialist Chrissy Campanelli, right-side hitter Tabitha Davis and defensive specialist Kathy Hormaza.
 
Campenelli has a great attitude and has been a leader thus far in the preseason, coming back to school healthy after fighting injury as a sophomore. Campenelli recorded 126 digs in '14, reaching double-digits in three different matches and serving well for the Scarlet Raiders all season.
 
Davis was in the starting rotation on the right side for the final 15 matches of the season, totaling 95 points behind 63 kills, 21 aces and 19 total blocks. One of the best pure athletes in the program, Davis has great skills at the net as a blocker and will be one of the team's biggest assets if she is able to play consistently well on offense.
 
Hormaza is a fierce competitor that plays solid defense and is without a doubt one of the most versatile players on the team – always willing to do whatever is asked of her. She played in 102 sets during 2014 and ranked ninth in the conference in digs per set, tallying a total of 328 while registering 46 points. The Morristown, N.J. native eclipsed double-digit digs in 19 matches, achieving 20 or more on three separate occasions.
 
"I expect all of our returning upperclassmen to be leaders and so far they have been," commented Madsen. "They know what we are trying to accomplish, understand the system and what it takes to be successful. Each one brings something different to our team and each one has the ability to be an extremely important piece this year."
 
The sophomore class is a deep one for the Scarlet Raiders in middle blocker Amber Borowski, setter Nathalie Breining, middle Rebecca Ford, middle Detra Glover, outside hitter Karolina Kopacz, libero Sue Riley and outside/right side Sydney Tuman.
 
Borowski has shown a great deal of improvement and growth from her rookie campaign with the team and has a never-say-die type attitude that is contagious. A max-effort player, Borowski is coming off a solid freshman season in which she played in 23 matches (18 starts), tallying 85 points on 66 kills and 29 blocks.
 
Madsen called Breining 'the toughest player he has ever coached' and hopes that toughness manifests itself up-and-down the roster in 2015. The Colonia, N.J. native started in 23 of the 24 matches she played in as a freshman, dishing out 696 assists. Breining was fourth in the conference in assists per set, adding 79 digs, 53 kills, 22 aces and 17 blocks to her well-rounded and versatile line.
 
Ford has put in a lot of work over the offseason and will push for more time as a sophomore after appearing in eight sets for the Scarlet Raiders as a rookie. An excellent athlete with a knack for blocking, improved offense should result in more opportunities for the Newark native.
 
Glover is a student-athlete who always comes ready to work hard and is a great player to have on the roster. A leader by example who has an infectious work ethic, Glover should see increases in her numbers across the board after seeing time in five matches for R-N as a rookie.
 
Kopacz started every single match for the Scarlet Raiders in 2014 and saw action in all 102 sets. She was second on the team in points (297.5), kills (232) and assists (120) and led the squad in aces (50). A versatile performer that has become more of a vocal leader in the early parts of the 2015 season, Kopacz has come into camp working hard for her spot on the court.
 
The 2015 NJAC Defensive Player of the year, Riley is another player with a never-say-die attitude and will be a major force in the conference again after making a name for herself as a rookie. An honorable mention All-NJAC pick, Riley was a four-time conference Defensive Player of the Week and twice earned the ECAC Metro Defensive Player of the Week honor. A leader for Coach Madsen in practice and on the court, Riley led the conference in digs per set (5.34) while totaling 531 over the course of the season.
 
Tuman is a fierce competitor and a true gamer with the potential and talent to earn a lot of playing time this year after getting five starts and making 29 appearances last season. The Marlboro High School product posted double-digit digs in four of the Scarlet Raiders' first six matches of the season, while picking up 78 points thanks in large part to 67 kills.
 
A trio of transfers and five freshmen have been brought in by the Scarlet Raider coaching staff to continue the program's resurgence and provide competition and depth on the roster.
 
"With the quality returners we have and the eight newcomers, we have more competition in practice which will only make us better," said Madsen. "A healthy competition for playing time is something that every coach and program wants, and I think we will see the benefits of that as the season progresses."
 
The 2015 transfer trio features sophomore middle Laura Ballestas, sophomore outside Hayley Merrill and sophomore setter Bryanna Urbaez.
 
Ballestas joined the program late last week and in limited practice has demonstrated nice size and a good attitude. She is excited to be part of the program and should work herself into the rotation. Merrill has a great deal of potential and could turn herself into one of the top players in the conference. She has excellent size and can really hit the ball after coming to R-N from Montclair State University. Urbaez joins the Scarlet Raiders after a year at Mercy College, demonstrating good hands in the early going. A hardworking and coachable player, Urbaez should find herself on the court for the Rutgers-Newark throughout the season.
 
Outside Lisamarie Acosta, libero Analis Capobianco, outside Cassie Luken, right side Andrea Antal and outside Jess Moy will be the freshmen on the 2015 roster. Acosta has worked with Coach Madsen in the past and knows the system well, while Capobianco is a smart player with a strong eye for the game. Luken has the ability to be a big-time contributor for the program, and Antal is an aggressive player with a hard-working personality that should help her push for quality match action. Moy has demonstrated improvement throughout the preseason and is adjusting well to the collegiate game.
 
The 2015 season starts at home Tuesday night in The Golden Dome Arena when the Scarlet Raiders host Centenary College at 7 p.m. The first NJAC match of the year will be in Newark against Kean University on September 15 and the regular-season finale will also be at home against conference foe William Paterson University.
 
"I think we will continue to show improvement if we play disciplined volleyball each time out and focus on what we do well," added the coach. "If we don't beat ourselves, work hard and control the things we can control, a trip to the conference tournament and another solid postseason is definitely possible."
 
The Scarlet Raiders, who were picked to finish sixth in the conference, narrowly missed out on the 2014 NJAC Tournament.
 
"Without question we want to qualify for the NJAC Championship Tournament this year," said Madsen. "We raised the bar in 2014 and will be working incredibly hard to do so again in 2015."