William Paterson University Athletics

WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (4-3) was bested 3-1 by No. 22 Christopher Newport (3-3) before earning a 3-1 bounce-back victory against Centenary (1-1) Sept. 11 at the Sports and Recreation Center.
 
MATCH ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Pioneers and Captains were back and forth for most of the first set until WP rattled off three straight points to go ahead, 23-20. Despite Christopher Newport pulling to within one twice, a costly setting error by the Captains gave the Pioneers the 25-23 victory.
• WP trailed by two (19-17) in the second set before Christopher Newport went on a 6-3 run to secure the 25-20 win.
• The Pioneers used a 6-1 run to battle back in the third set and trim the deficit to five (23-18), but the Captains scored back-to-back points to earn the 25-18 victory.
• A kill by sophomore Emeli Giesler (Milton, Ga./Milton) in the fourth set brought the Pioneers within one (17-16). However, Christopher Newport closed out the set on an 8-1 run to claim the 25-17 win.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Sophomore Riley Elliott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge) finished with a team-high 10 kills to pair with six digs.
• Freshman Presley Weber (McKinney, Texas/Emerson) logged eight kills.
• Freshman Sara Rogers (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) and senior Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) tallied 18 and 14 assists, respectively.
• Junior Bella Demers (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) had a game-high 24 digs.
• Sophomore Rebecca Rincon (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) notched 11 digs and three aces.

 
MATCH TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Pioneers trailed by five (13-8) in the first set against Centenary before using a 17-6 run to capture the 25-19 come-from-behind win.
• A kill by junior Makayda Aldrich (Robbinsdale, Minn./Brooklyn Center) sparked a 12-0 run to close out the second set, giving WP the 25-11 victory.
• Centenary held a six-point advantage (22-16) in the third set. A 7-2 run brought the Pioneers within one (24-23), but the Cyclones hung on for the 25-23 win.
• WP was down by two (8-6) in the fourth set and responded by going on a 17-5 to secure the 25-12 victory.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Houpt had 14 assists, becoming just the second Pioneer in program history to eclipse 3,000 career assists.
• Giesler totaled 12 kills.
• Junior Makayda Aldrich (Robbinsdale, Minn./Brooklyn Center) and sophomore Korinne Bakken (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) each finished with 11 kills.
• Rogers recorded a career-high 28 assists.

 
UP NEXT:

• William Paterson returns to the Sports and Recreation Center Saturday, Sept. 12, to host William Smith at 3:00 p.m.

 
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