Women’s Volleyball vs. William Paterson Game Recap 10/3/2023

By John DeFreitas | Published October 17, 2023

The Kean Cougars Women’s Volleyball team (now 12-6, 4-0 in conference) showed up and showed out against the William Paterson Pioneers (13-4, 1-2 in conference) at home in Harwood Arena. It started with an extra point in the first set that pole-vaulted the Cougars to their 5th sweep of the season on October 3rd, 2023. Here is what you need to know:

• After dominating the set to a 21-14 lead, the Pioneers would storm back and lead 24-23 before the Cougars would ice the set with back-to-back kills from Cayley Morrison. This gave the Cougars a 28-26 victory for the first set. 
• Freshman middle hitter Cayley Morrison mounted a total of 8 kills, 1 block assist, and one block solo alongside her set-winning strike.
• Senior outside hitter Ashley Smith led the team in points with 14.
• Sophomore setter Aspen O’Brien tallied 36 of the Cougar’s 38 assists.
• The team hit a solid .250 mark, .065 points above the overall team total at .185. 

“If we play our game, I know that we can beat anybody out there,” said coach Jenna Lara. “I think everybody saw in the first set, we had a nice comfortable lead. And then we kind of sat back and got a little comfortable and they pounced on us.”

Coach Lara’s message to her team was a simple analogy to help get the Cougars to finish the match victorious.

“Put the game away, don’t come off the gas pedal,” said Lara. Don’t play with your food, and they (the team) were [saying] what? We don’t have food on the bench.”

It was an analogy that came off as unusual to the team but still elicited the results that Coach Lara and the Cougars wanted. 

Ashley Smith

Smith hit a mark of .357 in the match and along with her team-leading points she managed 14 digs and 2 service aces. Her 14 digs matched a season-high she put together against Hunter College earlier in the season. 

“It’s good being involved on both ends,” said Smith. “As a hitter, I know based on their head where they’re coming and where they’re moving, where they’re thinking about hitting the ball because that’s what I would do.”

Consistency of Cayley Morrison

Middle hitter Cayley Morrison had Harwood Arena in an uproar with her back-to-back kills to win the first set. This performance came from a Rookie of the Week selection in the NJAC and a Defensive Player of the Week selection. 

Morrison showed a good connection with setter Aspen O’Brien throughout the match and it was O’Brien who assisted Morrison in each of her two kills that ended the first set. 

“Me and Aspen really grew a connection,” said Morrison. “She’s always trying to give me the ball and we’re always working on ways we can do it. So I feel like, throughout preseason we really built our connection up with practice.”

Morrison’s strike to finish the first set after going down a point late echoed a sound off the floor of Harwood and left her looking forward to the next set. 

“Putting that ball down excited me,” said Morrison. “It actually gives me more confidence and more motivation to do better and push harder. Because when you’re playing high-level competition it’s way more fun than playing lower level. I get a boost of adrenaline when we’re down and I’m like, ‘okay this is our time to push.’”

The Cougars will return home again on Friday, Oct. 13 for Pep Rally against #20 ranked North Park University before resuming NJAC play against Stockton University on Oct. 17.

---