New Jersey City University Athletics

 

JERSEY CITY, NJ…New Jersey City University served 20 aces in its first contest, then received 11 kills and a .500 percentage from freshman outside hitter MARLEY PENA-GUZMAN (Atlanta, GA/Central Gwinnett (GA)) in the nightcap, as the Gothic Knights snapped a four-match skid by sweeping both Yeshiva University and Medgar Evers College in a tri-match on Sunday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

 

NJCU defeated Yeshiva University in the opening match—a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division contest—3-0 (30-16, 30-26, 30-10), before blanking Medgar Evers College, 3-0, in a non-divisional tilt, by scores of 30-8, 31-29, 30-27. In the middle of the three matches, Medgar Evers claimed its first victory of the year, snapping a 10-match losing streak with a 3-2 (22-30, 30-23, 30-27, 23-30, 15-12) win over Yeshiva.

 

NJCU improved to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in the division. After the two matches, Yeshiva is 1-8 (0-5 Metro) and Medgar Evers is 1-10.

 

NJCU leads the all-time series against Yeshiva, 19-0, with all wins 3-0 sweeps. The Knights, meeting Medgar Evers for the first time since February 19, 2005, are 5-0 all-time against the Cougars.

 

In the win over the Maccabees, NJCU reached double figures in team service aces for the fourth time this year, as NJCU landed 20 overall and six players had at least two. In two games, freshman outside hitter AJ SAFAVI (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) hit .462 with seven kills (7-1-13) and three aces, while freshman outside hitter CHRIS EDRA (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens) had a match-high nine kills (9-5-25, .160). Pena added six kills for a .308 attack rate (6-2-13). Freshman setter JORGE RODRIGUEZ (Havana, Cuba/Memorial) delivered 19 assists and three aces in two games.

 

Also for NJCU, junior opposite THIAGO SIQUEIRA (Newark, NJ/Science) contributed seven digs, five kills and four aces, while freshman WILTON JIMENEZ (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) served three aces.

 

Yeshiva received 11 digs from junior libero Nachum Hascalovici (Montreal, Canada/Hebrew Academy) and 13 assists from junior setter Joseph Bajtner (Skokie, IL/Ida Crown Jewish Academy).

 

In NJCU’s win over MEC, the Knights hit .198 with 44 kills, including a .542 team percentage in game one (14-1-24) with its starters in the match, as the Cougars were limited to eight points.

 

Pena hit .500 with 11 kills and just one error (11-1-20), while Edra posted a team-high 13 kills (13-10-27), with eight digs and three aces. Rodriguez posted a career-high 37 assists, adding six digs and four of NJCU’s eight aces.

 

Siqueira did not make an error in 10 attacks, landing seven kills for a .700 percentage, and his younger brother, sophomore libero FELIPE SIQUEIRA (Newark, NJ/Science) defended 12 digs. Freshman middle blocker SHAWN McCORMICK (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) tallied six kills and hit .273 (6-3-11).

 

In defeat, the Cougars received a match-high 15 kills from freshman outside hitter Eric Anderson (Guyana, WI/Covent Garden), as he tallied 15 of the teams’ 25 total kills. He added two blocks. MEC sophomore setter Eric Browne (Brooklyn, NY/Acorn) had 14 assists.

 

NJCU will face Polytechnic University on Tuesday, February 19 at 7 p.m. in a home NECVA Metro match.