Slow Start, Strong Finish

Brooklyn, NY -  It was not the start that the NYU-Poly women's volleyball coaching staff had hoped for as they hosted Ramapo College in the opening match of a tri-match with City Tech Saturday at Jacobs Gymnasium. But, they sure liked the finish.  After falling behind in the first set 25-11, the Lady Jays rallied to win three straight (25-11, 25-22, 25-18) to defeat the Roadrunners, a team that defeated them in 2009.

The Lady Jays were able to put it in cruise control against City Tech, as they won easily 25-10, 25-9, and 25-13.  After a rough 1-5 start, NYU-Poly is now 6-7 overall and are on a three match winning streak. Ramapo suffered its first loss of the season to NYU-Poly and now stands 5-1 overall.

For the match, junior Melissa Pona (Staten Island, NY) hit 0.353 while racking up a team and career-high 15 kills. She picked up six of those kills in the pivotal second set when NYU-Poly rebounded from a first set loss. She also added eight digs. 

Sophomore setters Nicole Breitbart (Ridgewood, NJ) and Corey Loupee (Crown Point, IN) recorded 27 and 16 assists respectively, while senior Meredith Shipman (Sugarland, TX) led the way in digs with 23. She also added 12 kills and three aces.

Against City Tech, the Lady Jays cruised to a 3-0 win, winning 25-10, 25-9, and 25-13. Shipman and junior Victora Kalvert (Missouri City, TX) both chalked up eight kills, while Loupee added seven more. Breitbart tallied 23 more assists, while Pona and Kalvert led the way on the floor picking up 10 digs each. Junior Judith Ford (Bronx, NY) added six digs

The Lady Jays return to action Tuesday night with a home conference match against Old Westbury.  Game time is 7:00pm.