Leading up to the NJACS final on Saturday, Stockton women’s volleyball had an eventful week from November 11-16.

On Tuesday night, Stockton University, ranked third, swept New Jersey City University, ranked sixth, in a 3-0 victory in the NJAC Tournament quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals against Montclair State, the second seed.

Stockton dominated each set of the match, and after a close score in the first half of set one, the Ospreys took control and won 25-16 in the first set, 25 -10 in the second set, and 25-14 in the final set. 

The Ospreys were led by 5’9” junior, Kate Louer, who posted 11 kills with a .733 hitting percentage, along with 12 digs and a block at the net.  Senior Ashley Carkhuff and junior Rileigh Wilson each added six kills, while setters Regan Mendick and Kristen Burton set up the offense with 32 assists total. The Ospreys brought energy to Big Blue that night, as the match was their final home game of the season. 

On Thursday night, the Ospreys and Montclair State Hawks dropped a five-set tournament semifinals thriller to see who would advance to the championship match. The Ospreys opened up the match by winning the first set, 25-14. The Hawks then came back, winning sets two and three. 

Stockton faced a must-win set to stay alive in the tournament: the Ospreys jumped to an early 7-5 lead, and after Montclair errors, Stockton created a 7-1 run that led them to a 14-6 advantage. Montclair did their best, but Stockton forced a fifth set after winning set four, 25-18. After a back-and-forth battle, the Stockton Ospreys sealed the win with a 16-14 victory in the fifth set. Mendick and Burton combined for 43 assists, Louer posted a season-high 16 kills and a career-high 25 digs, Nicole Palmer added 13 kills, Wilson chipped in 10 kills, and Jaylah Rolle tied her career high with nine blocks and seven kills. Not only did Rolle have nine blocks, but the Ospreys were stellar at the net, totaling 18 blocks while Montclair had nine. The victory extended the Osprey’s season to face top-seeded William Paterson in the NJAC Championship.

Saturday night, Stockton University fell 3-0 to top-seeded William Paterson in the NJAC Championship. The Ospreys fought hard in three tight sets, but ultimately could not overcome the Pioneers. Although Stockton did not win, the Ospreys put up a tremendous fight with Louer leading Stockton with 12 kills and Palmer adding nine kills, 16 digs, and four assists. Wilson chipped eight kills and three blocks. Regan Mendick led the Ospreys in assists, setting up 17 assists, while McKenna Ritchie recorded nine digs.

The Ospreys fought hard, but the Pioneers finished the match sweeping and claiming the NJACS title and ending the Ospreys volleyball season.