New Jersey City University Athletics

BOX SCORE

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY…Faced with the challenge of a road match against the defending North East Collegiate Volleyball Association conference champions and the #8 ranked team in Division III, New Jersey City University committed 56 combined errors and manufactured just 43.0 points on its own, and the Gothic Knights suffered their first loss this season in the NECVA Metro Division, as Vassar swept NJCU, 3-0 (30-19, 30-18, 30-23) on Saturday afternoon at Kenyon Hall.

 

NJCU drops to 14-9 overall and 3-1 in the division while Vassar, the #8 ranked squad in the Bison/AVCA Division III Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll, improved to 16-4 and 6-2 in the league. The Brewers lead the all-time series, 10-0. It was the third of four matches in four days for NJCU.

 

Vassar limited NJCU to a .009 attack percentage as the Knights had 34 kills, but 33 errors in 112 attacks. NJCU also had 12 service and seven reception errors.

 

Vassar senior Phil Tully (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman), the 2008 NECVA Conference Player of the Year, recorded 10 kills, including five down the stretch in the final set, to become the fifth player in that school's history to collect 1,000 career kills.

 

In defeat for NJCU, sophomore outside hitter MARLEY PENA-GUZMAN (Atlanta, GA/Central Gwinnett) nearly posted his third consecutive double-double, finishing with 10 kills (10-9-24, .083) and nine digs. Freshman middle blocker AUSTIN BRYANT (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) finished with seven kills and three blocks.

 

Sophomore setter JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) provided 29 assists and seven digs. Freshman middle blocker DANNY KOCHANSKI (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) ended with five kills and four blocks.

 

Senior Steve Micucci (Millis, MA/Millis) led a Vassar team attack as the Brewers hit .287 (36-11-87). Micucci posted a .625 attack percentage with a match-high 11 kills (11-1-16), five service aces and five blocks.

 

Vassar senior setter John Kessenich (Chicago, IL/Richard Montgomery), who came into the match ranked No. 8 nationally in set assists, finished with 27 and four blocks. Senior libero Scott Leserman (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa), the nation's leader in digs per game, finished with 14. Sophomore hitter Evan Fredricksen (Menlo Park, CA/Menlo Atherton) added six kills and two blocks.

 

In the opening set, Vassar broke out to a quick 13-7 lead following a kill from Fredricksen and with Micucci serving increased that margin to 20-11. Three straight attack errors by NJCU raised the lead to 23-11 and Vassar maintained control from that point, winning 30-19.

 

In the second set, NJCU kept it close, trailing 16-14. But Vassar opened a 22-15 lead as Micucci sandwiched a kill between two Gothic Knight attack errors. Kills from Fredricksen and Micucci made it 25-17 and the hosts scored five of the next six points to claim a 30-18 set.

 

NJCU attempted to rally in the third set down 2-games-to-0 as it had on the road against Hunter College on March 5, winning 3-2. With the Knights and Brewers tied 17-17, Micucci put the Brewers back in front before freshman outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) had a kill for a 19-18 deficit. But needing four kills for 1,000, Tully took over. He notched three winners during a 6-1 streak that put Vassar ahead by a 25-19 count and his 1,000^th kill put the Brewers up, 27-20, as his team prevailed by that same margin, 30-23.

 

NJCU travels to New York, NY on Sunday, March 8 at 12 p.m. for an NECVA Metro Division match against Yeshiva University. NJCU is 19-0 all-time against the Maccabees, with all wins 3-0 sweeps.