HOBOKEN, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (6-5) earned two victories after defeating Oneonta (3-10), 3-1, and Springfield (8-2), 3-0, Sept. 19 at Stevens Institute of Technology.
MATCH ONE
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Pioneers scored five straight points late in the first set to trim the deficit to three (21-18) but ultimately fell 25-20.
- In the second set, back-to-back kills by senior Cecilia Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) sparked an 8-2 WP run that gave the Pioneers a nine-point advantage (23-14). Despite back-to-back errors, WP hung on and sealed the 25-16 win.
- The Pioneers used a 10-1 run to close out the third set and earn the 25-10 victory.
- WP owned a three-point lead (20-17) in the fourth set before outscoring Oneonta, 5-2, the rest of the way to secure the 25-19 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Miller made her 2026 debut, registering 13 kills and 13 digs for a double-double.
- Sophomore Emeli Giesler (Milton, Ga./Milton) logged a 13-kill performance with four blocks.
- Sophomore Riley Elliott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge) tallied 13 kills and five digs.
- Freshman Sara Rogers (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) recorded 24 assists and eight digs.
- Junior Bella Demers (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) posted a 17-dig outing.
- Senior Abby Houpt (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) had 19 assists, five aces and five digs.
MATCH TWO
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- WP went on a 7-3 run to finish the first set and claim the 25-16 win against Springfield.
- The two sides were even at 23-23 in the second set before Springfield took a one-point lead. However, the Pioneers outscored the Pride, 4-1, the rest of the way to capture the 27-25 victory.
- In the third set, back-to-back kills by the Pride knotted the score at 23-23, but a kill by Miller and an ace by Houpt secured the 25-23 win for WP.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Miller went for 12 kills and 13 digs.
- Freshman Presley Weber (McKinney, Texas/Emerson) had eight kills.
- Rogers recorded 15 assists and 10 digs.
- Demers registered 18 digs.
- Houpt logged 15 assists.
- Sophomore Rebecca Rincon (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) tallied 12 digs.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson returns to the Sports and Recreation Center Tuesday, Sept. 22, to begin New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play against Stockton at 7:00 p.m.
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