NJAC Tournament Central
 
PITMAN, N.J. – The sixth-seeded William Paterson volleyball team (22-4, 4-4 NJAC) will begin its quest for a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament title when the Pioneers play in the first round Tuesday, Oct. 30, at third-seeded Kean (16-13, 6-2 NJAC) at 7:00 p.m. Live statistics and live video of the match will be available.
 
WHERE:
Harwood Arena; Ticket prices are $5.00 for adults: $2.00 for children, students and senior citizens. WP students with ID will be admitted for free.
 
WHAT'S ON THE LINE:
The winner advances to the semifinal round Thursday, Nov. 1, at second-seeded Rowan (17-13, 6-2 NJAC) at 7:00 p.m. The highest remaining seed will host the championship match Saturday, Nov. 3, at a time to be determined.
 
WP IN THE NJAC TOURNAMENT:

• The Pioneers will be playing in their first NJAC Tournament since 2014, and are in search of the first tournament victory since topping Rowan, 3-0 in the 2009 first round.
• WP is making its fifth appearance in the NJAC Tournament in the last 10 years and its 14th trip overall (1982, 1983, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014). The Pioneers are seeking their fourth conference title (1982, 1983, 1991).

 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS:

• William Paterson is coming off a 3-0 sweep of Pratt Institute during the regular-season finale Oct. 25 and finished sixth in the league standings.  WP enters the postseason having won its last four matches and six of its last seven overall.
• Junior outside hitter Alyson Toman (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) has paced the Pioneer attack this season, leading the team in kills (339), kills per set (3.81), while her .378 hitting percentage tops the conference. As a team, WP leads the NJAC with a .255 hitting percentage.
• Senior setter Kendall Caruso's (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) 9.03 assists per set rank second in the conference, and her 786 assists are good for third.
• Defensively, William Paterson leads the NJAC with 18.05 digs per set, led by senior middle hitter Christine Griffith (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional) with 3.48, followed by classmates Amanda Lembo (North Haledon, N.J./DePaul Catholic) (3.01) and Caruso (2.85).

 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS:

• Kean is coming off a hard-fought 3-2 loss at Stockton (25-6, 8-0 NJAC) Oct. 23, and finished third in the conference standings. The Cougars are 9-2 in home matches this season.
• Junior setter Brianna Calvano leads the conference with 9.44 assists per set, and is second in the NJAC with 821 assists.
• Middle hitters Zoe Strozewski (.347) and Jesse Larkin (.324) rank second and third, respectively, in the conference in hitting percentage.
• As a team, Kean tops the NJAC in assists per set (11.67) and ranks second in kills per set (12.44).

 
LAST TIME THEY MET:

• William Paterson dropped a 3-0 decision at home against Kean Sept. 18. Kean hit .500 and cruised to a 25-17 opening set victory. The Pioneers tested the Cougars throughout the remainder of the match before dropping the final two sets 25-23, 26-24.

 
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:

• http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia