WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (17-4, 2-2 NJAC) finished 2-0 on the day, defeating FDU-Florham (12-11, 0-4 MAC Freedom) and Baruch (7-10, 4-1 CUNYAC) in three sets on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Sports and Recreation Center. The Pioneers extend their win streak to six, the longest win streak since the 2018 season.
MATCH ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Tied at two, freshman Sofia Zablackis (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) sparked a 7-0 run for the Pioneers to grab a 9-2 advantage. WP held the lead the rest of the way for 25-10 set win.
- The Pioneers came out hot with a 6-0 run. Freshman Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) posted two services aces during the run. WP held a six-point advantage the rest of the way en route to a 25-16 second-set win.
- WP opened the third set with a 9-1 run, sparked by a successful attack by sophomore Alexa Jarvis (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary). Sophomore Erika Bickart posted two kills and sophomore Abigail Hayth (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley Regional) recorded two service aces during the run. The Devils followed with a 5-1 run to cut the advantage to four (10-6). The Pioneers held the lead the rest of the way for a set and match win, 25-18.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Freshmen Cecila Miller and Zablackis led both teams with seven kills each.
- Freshman Kristian Glenn (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) added five kills and three block assists, while freshman Natalie Zabloudil (London, Ohio/London) tallied five kills and five digs.
- Houpt posted 25 assists and three aces. Hayth added a season-high six service aces.
- Junior Paola Molina (Hatillo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Felipe) secured a game-high 13 digs with two aces.
- The Pioneers outscored the Devils 14-3 in service aces.
MATCH TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Baruch held a 21-20 advantage until a kill by Zabloudil set up the Pioneers for a 5-2 run to secure the first-set win, 25-23. Miller led the Pioneers with five kills and a service ace in the first set.
- WP opened the second set with a 6-1 run, containing two kills from Zablackis and a successful attack and service ace from Zabloudil. The Lions could not cut the advantage, leading the Pioneers to a 25-9 second-set victory.
- Trailing 13-10, junior Ciara Feliz (Bogota, N.J./Bogota) found Zabloudil for the kill to spark a 7-0 run. Baruch cut the advantage to one, 22-21, but followed up with a service and attack error to put WP up 24-21. Freshman Laura Gruener (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) ended the set with a kill to lead the Pioneers to a 25-21 third-set and match win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Zabloudil posted 12 kills, eight digs and five service aces against Baruch.
- Houpt assisted on 19 points and Jarvis added 10 assists.
- Freshman Leah Molnar (Loudoun, Va./Freedom) and sophomore Kiyarah Hicks (Redmond, Ore./Redmond) recorded seven digs each.
- The Pioneers outscored the Lions 43-26 in kills. WP recorded a total 13 service aces.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson travels to Newark, N.J. on Tuesday, Oct. 17 for a NJAC matchup against Rutgers-Newark at 7:00 p.m.
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