NEWARK, N.J. | The Scarlet Raiders women's volleyball program stepped on the court in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) showdown against Montclair State University tonight. Montclair State University (18-6, 5-3) sat one spot ahead of Rutgers University-Newark (16-9, 3-4) in the NJAC standings and remained there after defeating the Scarlet Raiders in straight sets, 3-0 (25-15, 25-8, 25-15).

The Scarlet Raiders struggled to find their offense this evening as they hit -.097 on the night while Montclair State University hit .245 as a team. Sharon Starling led the Scarlet Raiders with eight kills and a .103 hitting percentage. Brione Lockett paced the team with 19 digs which was the highest tally in the match.

In the first set, the Scarlet Raiders held a small 10-8 lead before the Red Hawks went on an 8-0 run to put the set in their hands with a 16-10 lead. Rutgers University-Newark tried to chip away at Montclair's lead but they were too far behind as the Red Hawks claimed the opening set.

Offensively, the Scarlet Raiders were unable to find their groove in the second set as they scored just eight points. Lockett cut the lead down to seven with a service ace to try to swing momentum back into their favor, however, Montclair answered with a 6-0 run to push their lead out to 20-7. Akinbo registered a kill on an assist by Karly Gregoire but once again the Red Hawks went on a run to close out the set.

Starling put the Scarlet Raiders within three in the early goings of the final set when she found an opening in the Red Hawks defense. A kill by Akinbo kept the Scarlet Raiders within seven midway through the set but Rutgers University-Newark was unable to build off of that momentum. A late four-point run pushed the set out of reach and handed Monclair the win.

Up next for the Scarlet Raiders is their final home match of the season against CCNY on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 pm for senior night.