WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson volleyball team (18-11, 5-3 NJAC) was defeated 3-1 by Kean (12-11, 6-2 NJAC) in the conference regular-season finale Nov. 3 at the Sports and Recreation Center.
With the loss, William Paterson has secured the fifth seed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament and will head on the road to face off against fourth-seeded Montclair State Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A kill by Presley Weber (McKinney, Texas/Emerson) pulled the Pioneers within four (18-14) in the opening set, but Kean used a 7-2 run to earn the 25-16 victory.
- The Cougars owned a slim three-point advantage (18-15) in the second set before kills by senior Sofia Zablackis (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) and Weber trimmed the deficit to one. Kean used a 6-2 run to extend its lead to five, and despite three straight WP points, the Cougars held on for the 25-22 win.
- The Pioneers trailed by four (9-5) early in the third set until a 13-2 run gave WP a seven-point lead. Kean climbed back with a 9-4 run to make it a two-point deficit (22-20), but the Pioneers came away with the 25-20 victory.
- Kean owned a one-point lead (17-16) in the fourth set before using 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 11 kills to go with four digs and a pair of blocks.
- Senior Cecilia Miller (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) had 10 kills, nine digs and two aces.
- Freshman Sara Rogers (Dacula, Ga./Mill Creek) registered 15 assists and six digs.
- Junior Bella Demers (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee) totaled 18 digs and five assists.
- Zablackis logged a six-block performance.
UP NEXT:
- William Paterson will take on Scranton Thursday, Nov. 5, in a 7:00 p.m. road contest.
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS:
