It was Senior Day for Rowan Volleyball (14-11) on Nov. 2, which saw five Profs get recognized prior to their match against Lebanon Valley (15-11).
Seniors Brooke Adams, Maya Iovacchini, Kyra Hissner, Abby Webster, and Isa Kirchner were all honored in the pre-match ceremony.
Head Coach Deana Jespersen knows that each of her seniors are key contributors to the team’s success and will be missed when their volleyball careers come to an end.
“My God, I love my seniors and I’m having a very hard time thinking about them not being in the gym every day. I don’t want them to leave,” Jespersen said. “They’ve been rocks ever since they’ve been here and every year they get better. Each one of them has gotten better and grinded.”
Unfortunately for the Profs, the Flying Dutchmen spoiled their celebrations by handing Rowan their 12th loss of the season in four sets (28-30, 26-24, 25-19, 25-23).
Jespersen noted her team’s inability to shake Lebanon Valley as a driving factor of the loss.
“They’re a really good team. In the beginning, we weren’t hitting so great, but as we got going, I think they were figuring us out a little bit better,” Jespersen said.
The first set of the match set the tone for how perfectly matched the two teams were. It was a hard-fought battle, as both teams struggled to maintain a sizable lead.
Neither team was able to shake the other, pushing the set past the 25-point mark in the first. With things tied 28-28 late, a service error by Lebanon Valley and kills from Ciara Bradley and Adams put the Profs up 1-0.
That victory would also turn out to be the Profs only set win of the match. Despite holding the lead at several points throughout all four sets, Rowan was unable to shake Lebanon Valley as they came from behind in the final three sets to secure a 3-1 win.
It was also one of Rowan’s longest matches this season, marked with 37 ties and 18 lead changes in roughly two hours of play.
The Profs put up respectable numbers despite the loss, finishing with a .244 hitting line (50-19-127).
Jena Kaul added 17 kills, with Iovacchini and Bradley just behind her with nine. Bradley also had a personal best five blocks.
Adams tallied 36 assists on the night, adding to her record-breaking season.
In the Profs September matchup against Ursinus, Adams became the program’s new all-time assist leader. She also recently passed 4,000 career assists against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponent Rutgers-Camden, pushing her record further out of reach.
Being a senior, Adams says it’s bittersweet to watch her Rowan volleyball career come to a close after such a successful season.
“This being my senior year, I really wanted to go out with a bang and I want us to win NJAC and we all know that we can,” Adams said. “Rowan volleyball is my family. It’s just amazing to come here every day and I’ve been blessed to have my best friends here every day, every year. It just gets better and better.”
The Profs will next face New Jersey City University (NJCU) in their final match of NJAC play. It will also be their last regular season home match of the season.
Jespersen knows that if her team can fix the problems that cost them the win against Lebanon Valley, they will be successful in their upcoming match and in the NJAC playoffs that start in less than two weeks.
“It’s still anybody’s game in the NJAC so I think the things that we just talked about is that we can’t roller coaster. You can’t give up runs of points and then have to work so hard to get them back,” Jespersen said. “I think the thing that we have to work on right now is being more consistent and having that hunger all the way through.”
Adams is confident that if her team can clean up their game, they will have a successful final stretch of their season.
“We just have to push when it gets there and peak at the right time,” Adams said. “I’m really excited for what’s to come.”
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