Rowan University women’s volleyball team swept the Montclair State University Red Hawks on Tuesday night, 3-0, at Esbjornson Gymnasium. The win over their New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) was their eighth straight.

The Prof’s defense was ready to move and ready to battle during the three set match. With diving plays and scrappy touches, Rowan’s defense shined. The defense’s ability to recover, along with a few diving plays, left the crowd cheering. 

“We’ve been really working hard on defense… and I think we really showed out today,” Gabriella Cooper said. “We knew where to go, we knew what to do. Everyone had their job, and they did it really well.”

The team’s offense took part in the action too. The Profs came in swinging, leading with 15 kills from Jessica Smart. Abby Chadwick followed with 10 kills. 

The third set had the crowd on their toes. After defeating the Red Hawks in the first two sets, Montclair came into the third ready to fight. The offenses battled, the crowd cheered. The score was, 24-23, when Montclair took a time-out. One point would give Rowan their fourth NJAC win this season.

A hitting error by Smart gave the Red Hawks another chance. The teams were tied, but Smart was ready to take the point back. A kill by Smart gave the Profs a leg up. The Red Hawks tried to make a third set comeback, but fell short after a hitting error. 

The Tuesday game featured big swings and aggressive plays, but it also came with rally towels and fan engagement activities in honor of fan appreciation night. 

Fans were given ice cream and rally towels as they entered Esby gym, in honor of celebrating the night. That wasn’t all fans had in store. The time during breaks featured trivia amongst the rowdy crowd. Between games, a few fans were handpicked from the crowd and participated in a serving game.

As fans packed the bleachers, they also waved their towels and cheered for the Profs. The energy the crowd brought didn’t stop at the bleachers, but was felt throughout the team.

“Having the fans and the energy that they bring behind us is amazing. It just empowers us throughout the whole game,” Smart said. “It’s a great reminder of why I’m here and why I did what I did.”

With a full roster and a jam packed gym, Rowan was ready to fight. But, one key component was missing: head coach Deana Jespersen. Despite the absence of their head coach, the team pulled through, entertained watchers, kept their win streak alive, and stayed undefeated in NJAC play. 

“It was a total team effort, me and all the coaches and the team, everybody stepped up… I was very confident in the team,” assistant coach Matt Verlinghieri said. 

The Profs are now set to take on Lycoming College and Elizabethtown College in a series on Saturday in Elizabethtown, Pa.

For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]