Live Stats I Video I NJAC Bracket

R-N Schedule I MSU Schedule

R-N Stats I MSU Stats

NEWARK, N.J. (October 29, 2018) – Tomorrow night, the fifth-seeded Rutgers University-Newark women's volleyball team will head to fourth-seeded Montclair State University for the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.

The Scarlet Raiders had one of their best seasons in recent memory, led by Head Coach Megan Knott in her third year, completing the regular season with a 16-10 overall mark and a 4-4 record in league play.

The 16 wins are the most in a campaign since 2014 while the four NJAC victories are the most since R-N went 6-2 in conference play in 2006. The squad's .615 winning percentage is also the highest since that 2006 team.

At one point this fall, the Raiders won eight consecutive matches as they had a fantastic 10-2 start to their season.

Rutgers-Newark features three players in the top-10 in the NJAC in kills per set during league action. Senior Cassie Luken is third with 3.65 while junior Comfort Akinbo had 3.29 for fifth and freshman Sharon Starling rounded out the trio in eighth with 3.04.

Sophomore Karly Gregoire ranks fourth is assists per set (8.22) and service aces per set (0.56) while junior Brione Lockett is second in the conference with 5.07 digs per set.

Overall, the Scarlet Raiders are led by Luken with 279 kills (3.62 per set), Gregoire with 722 assists (8.02 per set), Lockett with 476 digs (5.29 per set), Starling with 64 aces (0.83 per set), and junior Epiphani Woodard with 41 blocks (0.64 per set).

In their first matchup this season, MSU defeated R-N at home in straight sets. Luken led the squad with 13 kills, Lockett had a match-best 26 digs, and Gregoire compiled 19 assists and nine digs but the team was missing firepower from Starling and Akinbo.

The Raiders will look to learn from that defeat as they aim for the upset on Tuesday night.

The Red Hawks (18-9 overall, 5-3 NJAC) come into the contest with a rocky 2-3 stretch in their last five regular season matches, all out of conference. Still, the team boasts a 9-2 home record and went 3-1 in league play at the Panzer Athletic Center.

Montclair State is led offensively by Carly Waterman with 278 kills (3.12 per set) and Leah Higgins with 201 winners (2.31 per set) while Ashley Griffith has guided the attack with 728 assists (8.00 per set).

Alexandra Campos and Waterman are the top defensive players on the squad with 312 (3.55 per set) and 218 (2.45 per set) digs, respectively. Natalia Majkut is first on the team with 58 blocks (0.64 per set).