This past weekend at Esby Gymnasium, the Rowan volleyball team hosted the Rowan Quad and managed to go undefeated in their home tournament.
In their first match on Friday, they defeated Morrisville State College in three straight sets, 3-0. In their second and third matches of the tournament on Saturday, Rowan almost swept their opponents again, dropping only one set to Widener University in the third match, but still asserted themselves in front of their home crowd.
Against Morrisville State, it was Senior Captain and Outside Hitter Natalie Ogden that led the way with 10 kills and eight digs, while Junior Defensive Specialist Jackie Camponelli, had seven aces and six digs.
But the real show was put on during the sensational performance by freshman Brooke Adams. The young setter recorded an outstanding 27 assists, while managing to have three aces as well.
Adams shared her feelings on how the tournament and season has affected her career so far.
“I feel like I really have a role now on this team,” Adams said. “All my teammates, especially the upperclassmen and coach, have made this really fun so far.”
In game two, Rowan continued to dominate as they defeated Catholic University in another three straight sets, 3-0, including a ruthless 25-16 first set victory.
Rowan bettered the Cardinals substantially in every major statistic by going 58-37 in points, 41-24 in assists and 7-3 in aces.
Once again this game was dominated by Ogden, totaling 19 kills and 11 digs, and Adams, who had 11 more assists than last game with 38. Junior Outside Hitter Brianna Newson stepped up as well with ten kills and two blocks.
Rowan had the first two items off their plate, but now it was time to attack the main course, Widener University, who came in with the same tournament record as the Profs (2-0) going into the final match. Widener came into the meet undefeated in their season as well, with a 6-0 mark and wanted it to remain that way, but the Profs had other plans.
The Profs struggled early on in the matchup, losing 18-25 in the first set. Luckily for Rowan, the tides would turn in their favor as they went on to win the next three sets and defeat the Pride 3-1, remaining undefeated with a 3-0 record for the duration of the tournament.
“These girls are a privilege to coach so far, and, when it comes time for me to leave, I sure hope I make time to be able to come back for the end of the season,” Head coach Deana Jespersen said. “They are a fun and energetic group, and I could see them winning the NJAC if that’s what they want.”
With the tournament behind them, the Profs moved on to their first New Jersey Athletic Conference [NJAC] game of the year against William Paterson on Tuesday night — where they added another win to their record. They now sit at 6-2 as they travel to compete in the Eastern Tri-Match this weekend.
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