GALLOWAY, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (25-6, 5-3 NJAC) saw its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament run come to an end after falling 3-1 (21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 27-29) in a hard-fought semifinal round matchup at top-seeded Stockton (21-10, 8-0 NJAC) Nov. 9.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers trailed by just one (21-20) in the opening set before the Ospreys went on a 4-1 run to secure the 25-21 victory.
- A 6-0 Stockton run midway through the second set gave the Ospreys a four-point edge (18-14). However, a 6-1 WP run put the Pioneers ahead by one (20-19). Despite trailing late in the set, Stockton was able to outscore WP 6-3 the rest of the way to capture the 25-23 win.
- The Pioneers opened the third set on an 11-2 run. The Ospreys chipped into the deficit and eventually pulled within four (16-12), but a kill by freshman Sofia Zablackis (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) sparked a 6-0 WP run. Stockton responded with a 9-3 run to trim the deficit to three (24-21), but freshman Cecilia Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) recorded a kill to give the Pioneers the 25-21 victory.
- The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle with neither side able to gain much separation. Stockton built a 16-10 lead but WP went on an 8-2 run to even the score at 18 apiece. From there, the two sides continuously traded points until the Ospreys managed to earn the 29-27 set win to advance to the tournament title game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Miller recorded a match-high 22 kills with 18 digs for her 14th double-double of the season.
- Freshman Natalie Zabloudil (London, Ohio/London) logged 17 kills and five block assists.
- Zablackis had 11 kills and six total blocks.
- Freshman Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) dished out 54 assists to pair with 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the year.
- Junior Paola Molina (Hatillo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Felipe) tallied a team-best 19 digs.
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