BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...Freshman outside hitter JOSE MATTA (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Union Hill) grows more and more impressive with each outing and on Tuesday night, his explosive 15-kill performance led New Jersey City University to its third consecutive win—all by 3-0 margins—as the Gothic Knights downed Bard College, 30-25, 30-27, 30-23, in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division match on “Coach Charlie Brown Court” at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
NJCU improves to 11-6 overall and after losing its first three NECVA Metro matches this year to nationally-ranked opponents, draws even at 3-3 in the league. Bard, which lost three matches over the weekend to teams currently ranked nationally, falls to 11-11 overall and 3-5 in the NECVA Metro, losing for the sixth straight contest.
NJCU leads the all-time series, 15-3, claiming 15 of the last 17 matchups. The Knights are a perfect 7-0 all-time at home in the series which dates to the first year of the program in 1990.
Matta, who earlier in the day was voted as the NECVA Metro Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career, started his campaign for next week's award early, slamming 15 kills and a .333 hitting percentage (15-6-27) with four digs. It was his sixth double-digit kill effort of the year.
Sophomore opposite AUSTIN BRYANT (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) reached double figures in kills for the 13th consecutive match and the 14th time in 16 matches he's played in, notching 13 kills (13-6-30, .233), eight digs and four blocks. Promising freshman middle blocker DAVIS OBI (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) also was sensational with a .636 attack percentage, uncorking eight kills and only one error on 11 attempts. Obi also rejected a career-best seven blocks.
Junior setter JORGE RODRIGUEZ (Havana, Cuba/Memorial) delivered 22 assists in 47 attempts for a .468 distribution rate and senior setter FELIPE SIQUEIRA (Newark, NJ/Science) chipped in 20 assists. Sophomore outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) finished with six kills, eight digs and two assists and junior libero WILTON JIMENEZ (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) led a defensive effort with eight digs. As a team, the Knights were flawless on serve receive, not allowing an ace by the Raptors in 66 chances.
Bard received a double-double of 19 assists, 11 kills (11-7-26, .154) and seven digs from senior setter Henry Schenker (Verona, NJ/Verona) and seven kills without an error by junior outside hitter Max Howard (Lafayette, CA/Bentley). But sophomore opposite Nick Chan (Victor, NY/Victor), a past NECVA Metro Player of the Week, was held to a -.038 hitting percentage. He did tally 16 assists, eight kills and eight digs.
After grabbing an 8-7 lead in the first set, the Knights didn't trail again, combining for 17 kills in the set. Later, leading 21-19, Matta unleashed back-to-back winners for a 23-19 edge. Matta had six kills in the frame. A Bryant kill extended the lead to 26-21. Bard would shave the lead to 27-25 when Chan and sophomore middle blocker Ryan Fallon (Ridgewood, NY/Grover Cleveland) teamed for a block. But Bryant was credited with a backrow kill and Obi and Bryant combined for a double-block for a 29-25 lead. Former Old Bridge High School teammates Obi and Lisk used that experience for another block on set point as NJCU won, 30-25.
In the second set there were seven early ties before the Knights scored five in a row for a 14-9 lead after an Obi/Bryant rejection. An ace by Rodriguez extended the lead before the hosts pushed it to 18-13 on a Bryant strike and Matta winner. Matta added another kill for 20-15. Bard cut it to 20-18 on a block. When NJCU went up by four, Chan cut it to 23-21 and an NJCU error made it a one-point game. Another kill by Chan made it 24-23. Obi went high for a solo block and a 26-23 cushion for NJCU. Chan shaved the deficit to 26-24 before Matta slugged a kill. Bryant rifled a kill down the middle for a 28-25 lead. Bard kept it close with a Schenker kill and after an NJCU attack error, it was 29-27. Finally, Matta clinched a 2-0 lead with a kill, winning 30-27.
The third set was all NJCU, as the Knights hit .400 with 17 kills (17-5-30), and Bard was limited to a .029 percentage. Bryant hit .500 with five kills. NJCU took an early 12-5 lead when Lisk planted a kill at the end of a long rally and a Matta ace. A Matta kill and a Matta/Obi block upped the advantage to 21-10. Bard was able to draw within 24-21 when NJCU made several lineup changes. But Matta re-entered and hammered a ball from the backrow for a 25-21 and Lisk had a kill for a 26-22 lead. The Knights clinched the win when Obi and Bryant teamed for a block and Matta buried a winner on match point for a 30-23 win.
NJCU won in three sets despite missing two key players. Junior libero CHRIS EDRA (Edison, NJ/JP Stevens), a past NECVA Metro Player of the Week, missed the match with an injury, while freshman outside hitter MICHAL KUCZA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) also did not play.
NJCU is back in action on Saturday, March 13 when it competes in an NECVA Metro tri-match in Hoboken, NJ at Stevens Institute of Technology. The Knights meet Polytechnic Institute of NYU at 12 p.m. in a neutral court match followed by a meeting with the 2009 conference champion and national runner-up Ducks at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the Raptors host SUNY Purchase on March 12 at 7 p.m. in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
Team Stat Comparison
|
|
|
NJCU
|
BARD
|
|
Score
|
3
|
0
|
|
Attack Percentage
|
.264 (48-19-110)
|
.133 (38-24-105)
|
|
Kills
|
48
|
38
|
|
Assists
|
46
|
37
|
|
Service Aces
|
3
|
0
|
|
Digs
|
34
|
35
|
|
Total Blocks
|
7.0
|
4.0
|
|
Points
|
58.0
|
42.0
|
