BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...For the second consecutive match, New Jersey City University sophomore opposite AUSTIN BRYANT (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) slammed 21 kills and the Gothic Knights owned a 46-42 margin in overall kills, but NJCU committed 30 attack errors and #9 ranked Vassar College remained undefeated in the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division with a 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-21) victory on Saturday on “Coach Charlie Brown Court” at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
With the loss, NJCU drops to 8-6 overall and 0-3 in the NECVA Metro Division; all three divisional losses have come to nationally ranked opponents. NJCU had 23 kills alone in an electric second set—equaling its output from the first (12) and third (11) frames.
Vassar, the No. 9 ranked team in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Top 15 Coaches Poll, wins its ninth consecutive and improves to 15-6 overall and 7-0 in the NECVA Metro Division. The Brewers own a 23-2 all-time record since joining the league in 2008 and lead the all-time series against NJCU, 11-0.
Bryant, who tallied a career-best 21 kills in a 3-1 loss to Hunter College on February 28, equaled his personal high while tallying the fourth most kills in a three-set match in program history. Meanwhile, he has now reached double figures in kills in 10 consecutive matches and 11 of 13 this year, with a remarkable 108 kills in his last six matches.
Bryant finishes with 21 kills and a .186 percentage (21-13-43), adding eight digs and two blocks and freshman outside hitter JOSE MATTA (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Union Hill) collected 12 kills (12-7-29, .172), five digs and two aces. Freshman outside hitter MICHAL KUCZA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) came off the bench to provide 10 kills and hit .208 (10-5-24) with eight digs. Bryant, Kucza and Matta combined for 43 of NJCU's 46 total winners.
Junior libero (Havana, Cuba/Memorial) added 13 assists.
Vassar senior two-time All-American hitter Phil Tully (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) paced the visitors with 11 kills and a .320 attack percentage (11-3-25), adding eight digs and four blocks. Junior hitter Evan Fredericksen (Menlo Park, CA/Menlo Atherton) had a team-best 12 kills and hit .259 (12-5-27), adding seven digs and two blocks. Freshman setter John Konow (Chicago, IL/Northside College), this week's NECVA Conference Rookie of the Week, delivered 37 assists for a .446 percentage (83 attempts), adding four blocks, including two solo stuffs.
Also for the Brewers, freshman hitter Matthew Elgin (Farmington, NY/Victor) notched nine kills and a .350 percentage (9-2-20), with three blocks and two aces. Freshman hitter Patrick Donohue (East Petersburg, PA/Hempfield) tallied six blocks and five kills (5-2-11, .273) while freshman libero Christian La Du (Westhampton, NY/Westhampton Beach) defended 10 digs.
Vassar hit .222 as a team (42-18-108) and combined for 13.0 team blocks. NJCU posted a .134 attack rate (46-30-119) but only 4.0 blocks.
Vassar's high-powered offense allowed the Brewers to leap out to an early first-set lead as the guests hit .263 with 16 kills, while the Knights hit .077. Donohue and Tully each had four kills in the opening set as Vassar grabbed a 18-9 lead and extended that advantage to 26-13 before NJCU adapted to the Brewers formation and made a late run, cutting the deficit to 29-23. It wasn't enough as Vassar clinched a 30-23 win.
The second set was an exceptional back-and-forth exchange of mostly errorless volleyball between the two divisional opponents. NJCU, behind 12 kills and a .333 rate (12-5-21) from Bryant and five winners on nine swings (.556) from Matta, hit .269 as a team with a set season-high 23 kills (23-9-52). Vassar hit .250 in the frame (15-4-44).
NJCU jumped out to an 8-4 lead after an ace by Matta, Kucza kill and Vassar error. Vassar tied it at 10-10 before NJCU regained a 12-10 margin on back-to-back monster kills by Bryant and Matta and a backrow winner by Kucza. A tip winner by Bryant made it 15-12 before Bryant's backrow kill extended the margin to 17-13. Three straight points, including a kill from Elgin, cut it to 17-16 before a kill by Kucza and a backrow rocket from Matta at the end of a long, exciting rally extended it to 19-16, forcing Vassar into a timeout. Kucza continued the trend with a kill, and Matta crushed a shot from the backrow for 21-16. A Bryant roll from the backrow and one from the right side made it 23-17.
Freshman middle blocker CASEY BLAKE (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) slammed a ball down the middle for a 24-17 cushion. Back-to-back kills from Fredericksen and an NJCU error cut it to 24-20 and Fredericksen jumped an ace for a three-point deficit. Miscommunication led to another VC point before a center-line violation cut it to 24-23. Sophomore hitter Lucas Rathjens (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) had a kill on an over ball to tie it 24-24 and a combo-block by Elgin and Rathjens gave VC a 25-24 lead. Bryant's kill tied it before Elgin had a kill for 26-25. Matta tied it with a kill off the top of the block. The 6-foot-6 Tully, the 2008 NECVA Conference Player of the Year, slammed a ball over a triple block for a 27-26 lead before a passing error made it 28-26, visitors. Bryant cut it to 28-27 with a kill before a kill by Frederick followed by a Bryant backrow kill made it 29-28. Fredericksen sealed a 30-28 win with a kill.
Each team had 11 kills in the third set, but NJCU made 12 attack errors (-.036) versus eight for Vassar. The third set saw NJCU take several early leads, including 8-4 on a Bryant backrow roll shot, Matta ace and Kucza line kill. But VC tied it at 8-8 on a Konow ace. After three more ties, VC claimed a 16-11 lead after a solo block by Konow, Rathjens aceand combo block by Tully and Donohue.
A solo block by freshman middle blocker DAVIS OBI (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge), who had three stuffs in the match, cut it to 17-14 before a Fredericksen winner and Elgin block made it 19-14 and a combo stuff by Konow and Fredericksen, followed by a solo rejection by Konow increased it to 21-14. A Matta kill and three VC errors shaved the lead to 21-18. Elgin's kill down the middle and a combo block by Elgin and Rathjens made it 23-18. Fredericksen increased the lead to 25-19. Matta had a backrow slam but Tully tipped a winner for 26-20 and the Brewers scored five of the final six points for a 30-21 win to clinch the match.
NJCU returns to action on Sunday, March 7 when it hosts an NECVA Metro Division tri-match, beginning at 10 a.m. when the Knights host Yeshiva University. Yeshiva and Sage Colleges meet at 12 p.m., before the Knights face Sage at 2 p.m. in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Vassar visits College of Mount Saint Vincent on March 9 at 7 p.m. in a Metro match.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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NJCU
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VASSAR
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Score
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0
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3
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Attack Percentage
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.134 (46-30-119)
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.222 (42-18-108)
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Kills
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46
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42
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Assists
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46
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41
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Service Aces
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3
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5
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Digs
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42
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35
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Total Blocks
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4.0
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13.0
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Points
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53.0
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60.0
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