WAYNE, N.J. – For just the fourth time in program history, and the first since 1991, the William Paterson volleyball team (22-9, 7-1 NJAC) won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament title after sweeping third-seeded Stockton (22-8, 6-2 NJAC) Nov. 16 at the Sports and Recreation Center.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers owned a five-point lead (22-17) in the opening set after a kill by sophomore Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley). The Ospreys responded with a 6-1 run to even the score at 23-23. However, back-to-back kills by sophomore Kristian Glenn (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) secured the 25-23 victory.
- William Paterson trailed by three (8-5) in the second set before surging on an 11-3 run to grab a five-point lead (16-11). Stockton responded with a 7-3 run to pull within one (19-18) but the Pioneers outscored the Ospreys 5-2 to push the advantage to four (24-20). Despite two consecutive points by Stockton, WP got a timely kill from graduate student Hope Arce-Reed (New Carrollton, Md./College Park Academy) to claim the 25-22 win.
- The third set came down to the wire as the Pioneers had match point (24-21) until Stockton scored three straight to even the score. Freshman Makayda Aldrich (Robbinsdale, Minn./Brooklyn Center) recorded her 12th kill of the night before her service ace clinched the set and match victory for the Pioneers.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Arce-Reed finished with a match-best 14 kills.
- Aldrich tallied 12 kills and four blocks.
- Sophomore Cecilia Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) recorded a double-double after totaling 11 kills and 13 digs.
- Glenn chipped in with eight kills, five digs and four blocks.
- Houpt dished out a match-high 35 assists to pair with eight digs.
- Senior Paola Molina (Hatillo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Felipe) totaled a match-best 20 digs.
- Freshman Dilara Pak (Edison, N.J./John P. Stevens) notched 10 digs.
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UP NEXT:
- William Paterson has earned an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. The tournament bracket will be revealed during a webcast on NCAA.com Monday, Nov. 18, at 1:00 p.m.
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