On what would be a memorable senior night the Montclair State University Red Hawks cruised to victory over the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders – winning in straight sets.
Montclair State head coach Eduardo Stawinski talked about what it meant to win on senior night, “it’s always awesome to send the seniors out on their senior night celebration with a win,” said Stawinski.
The match started with a small ceremony as the team’s two seniors: Katie Rodman and Rachel Curran received flowers and a framed picture to honor their time at the school.
The game itself started off sloppy with multiple unforced errors on both sides leading to a 5-5 tie in the first set.
As things started to settle in, the Red Hawks would dominate the rest of the first set, winning 25-14 thanks to some good team defense led by sophomores Sofia DiProfio and Lily Thomas.
Junior setter Emily Carcich highlighted the importance of the team playing together as a cohesive unit.
“We really mesh together well as a team.” said Carcich. “We all want the best for each other, so when we go on the court, we’re actually able to play as one.”
The Red Hawks look to secure high seeding in the upcoming NJAC Tournament.
Courtesy of Matt DeLuca Photo credit: Matt DeLuca
The second set was much of the same as the first with a back and forth start before the Red Hawks jumped all over the Scarlet Raiders – finishing the set 25-12.
Coach Stawinski credits this ability to control a match, like they have been doing, to their depth.
“So, we had people step up in different roles, people step up in different responsibilities on the court, and I think that speaks volume of this team,” said Stawinski.
The final set was a more even affair the whole way through with long volleys by both teams, but thanks to some excellent kills and digs by senior Rachel Curran, Montclair State was able to pull of the victory 25-17 on senior night.
Carcich emphasized the number of errors (19) that the Red Hawks forced as a key contributor to its victory. She also raved about the positive energy and mindset the team had going into the match.
“I think we came out with a lot of good energy, especially with it being senior night,” said Carcich. “We all really wanted the win for them.”
This was Montclair State’s 7th win in a row with five of those seven winning in straight sets.
Head coach Stawinski credits the team’s toughness and competitiveness as to why they’re able to keep this momentum.
“We’re able to adjust to adversity a little bit, be able to maintain the winning streak and be able to keep things very competitive,” said Stawinski.
Montclair State is fighting for the two seed in the upcoming New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament, which would give them home court advantage for the majority of the tournament.
If they can keep up this dominant play, then they are likely to secure it.
