10/23/25
 
RANDOLPH, NJ – A dominant first set was the tone setter, and a frantic third set finish helped clinch a crucial sweep on the road, as the Lackawanna College women's volleyball team took a three-set victory over County College of Morris (25-13, 25-22, 25-23) on Thursday night in Region XIX Division II play at Morris.
 
The match was important for both teams, with Morris (5-8, 2-4) needing a win to potentially force a four-way logjam in the region standings, and the Falcons (11-10, 4-2) needing a win to snag the top spot in the region and guarantee the two-seed in next week's Region XIX DII playoffs. Lackawanna used that opportunity as motivation, and the Falcons blew past the Titans in the first set, using a 7-2 run to go from 12-7 up to 19-9. Ciona Braziel (Fort Worth, TX) had three kills and a solo stuff in the first set alone, while Ellania Morales (Wharton, NJ) had two aces and eight assists to help Lackawanna to the 25-13 set one win.
 
Set two was tight past the midway point, with the score knotted at 14-14. The Falcons then hit a crucial five-point spurt, fueled by two aces and a kill from Jana Hofmann (Colorado Springs, CO), as well as a kill and a block from Braziel, putting Lackawanna up at 19-14. Morris closed to get within two at 24-22, but an error ended the set and gave the Falcons the 2-0 lead.
 
Morris took an early four-point lead at 8-4 in set three, but Lackawanna closed the gap with a four-point swing to take a brief lead at 13-12, thanks to two kills from Hofmann and a solo stuff from Neurdia Osias (Huntington Station, NY). The Titans eventually regained control, and were three points away from forcing a fourth set at 22-19, when Lackawanna rallied and scored six of the match's final seven points. Regan Freas (Louisa, VA), who had six kills and a block assist, got things going with a kill, and Morales followed with a quick two-handed shot that beat the defense in the middle and cut the deficit to 22-21. Morris then hurt itself with three straight errors, gifting the Falcons a two-point lead at 24-22. The Titans scored to pull within one, but Kaitlyn Reed (Aurora, CO) secured the victory with a kill to give the Falcons their third straight win.
 
Freas and Hofmann each had six kills, while Hofmann added three aces. Braziel had five kills in her first match back from injury, while also posting a solo block and a block assist. Osias had four kills and a solo rejection, and Morales added 20 assists. As a team, Lackawanna had seven aces.
 
The Falcons are off until Saturday, November 1^st, when they will host the Region XIX Division II women's volleyball tournament at the historic Lackawanna College Student Union gymnasium.