BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In the first meeting between New Jersey City University and Eastern Mennonite University since 2002 and the first as North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division opponents, the Royals used their distinct size advantage to produce 11.5 total blocks and hit .244 as EMU defeated the Gothic Knights, 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 19-25, 25-19), in a conference match on Sunday at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on “Coach Charlie Brown Court.”
EMU (5-4, 4-0 NECVA Metro) won its third match in a row and remained undefeated and in first place in its first season in the division. NJCU falls to 1-2 (0-2 Metro). EMU leads the all-time series, 3-0. It was the first meeting since February 16 and February 23, 2002; the Royals won both those matches, 3-0.
After EMU won the first two sets, NJCU took the third game and appeared to tie a back-and-forth fourth set at 17-17 after a kill by sophomore outside hitter MICHAL KUCZA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne). But the officials would eventually overturn the call, making it 18-16 instead, and the Royals chalked up seven of the final 10 points to win the match.
In defeat, junior KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) continued to excel in his first season as a middle hitter, smashing 12 kills with just one error in 18 attacks for a .611 hitting percentage.
EMU had three players reach double figures in kills, led by sophomore outside hitter Chris Moise (Hollywood, FL/South Broward) with 13 kills (13-6-32, .219) and five blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Greg Knight (Chesapeake, VA/Hickory) collected 11 kills and a .368 percentage (11-4-19) with five digs and three blocks. Junior opposite Nolan Prock (Virginia Beach, VA/Frank W. Cox) posted a double-double of 13 digs and 10 kills (10-5-30, .167).
EMU sophomore setter John Barry (Worthington, OH/Worthington Kilbourne) delivered 39 assists, hit .556 with six kills in nine attempts (6-1-9), and added six digs and four assists. Senior middle blocker Frankie Coto (Miami, FL/Southwest Miami) stuffed seven blocks and had seven kills.
For NJCU, Kucza equaled Lisk with a team high 12 kills and added eight digs. Senior libero CHRIS EDRA (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens) collected a match high 15 digs to increase his career total to 798. Senior setter JORGE RODRIGUEZ (Havana, Cuba/Memorial) dished 30 assists to increase his career total to 1,560 and had three kills without an error (3-0-8, .375).
In the opening set, EMU scored 17 of its 25 points off kills and hit .270 (17-7-37), led by Coto and Moise, with five kills and two blocks apiece in the game. Coto slammed back-to-back kills, including a shot inside the 10-foot line for a 15-9 cushion. The Knights drew within 22-17 on a kill by Lisk, and 23-19 when Kucza crushed a shot, before Moise produced a pair of winners to seal the game, 25-20.
In set two, the Royals had 13 kills and limited NJCU to a -.069 percentage (7-9-29). Despite this, there were nine ties in the set. NJCU led 12-11 after a kill by Lisk before EMU scored 14 of the final 18 points of the set, highlighted by a 9-1 run to seize a 20-13 lead. The Royals had a rare triple block by Coto, Knight and Moise during the spurt before late kills by Barry, Prock and Moise helped the visitors claim the game, 25-16. Moise hit .500 in the game with four kills.
NJCU won a set against the Royals for the first time in three meetings by posting a .333 team percentage (11-4-21) in the third game, led by Lisk who registered a .714 accuracy rate with five kills (5-0-7). There were eight ties in the set, but all came before the match reached double digits as the Knights never trailed after gaining a 10-9 margin. Kucza floored three kills during the middle of the game and NJCU led 18-15. Two kills by Lisk sandwiched around a double block by Lisk and freshman outside hitter #A.J. FLORES# (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) pushed the lead to 21-16. Another kill by Lisk and one of three aces in the match by senior outside hitter WILTON JIMENEZ (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) made it 24-19 before NJCU forced a fourth set, 25-19.
The Royals hit .323 in the final set during which the teams traded five leads and six ties. NJCU twice led by three in the middle of the set, 13-10, and 14-11, after a pair of Royal errors. A solo block by Barry and combo stuff by Coto and Barry squared the set at 14-14 before Kucza, who had five kills in the frame, blasted back-to-back kills for a 16-14 lead. A kill by Prock and an NJCU error evened it at 16-16 before Prock gave EMU a 17-16 edge with another winner. On the next play, Kucza was originally credited with a kill to force a 17-17 tie. But on appeal, the officials overturned the call and EMU, ahead 18-16, would not trail again. Leading 19-17, the Royals scored four in a row, including consecutive kills by Knight, made it 23-17 before Knight won it with a kill on match point, 25-19.
NJCU, which still has not played a road match this season, will be home on Thursday, February 3 at 7 p.m. in a non-conference contest. EMU hosts undefeated Stevenson University (7-0, 2-0 NECVA Metro) on Wednesday, February 2 at 7 p.m. in an NECVA Metro match in Harrisonburg, VA.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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NJCU
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EMU
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Score
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1
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3
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Attack Percentage
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.101 (37-26-109)
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.244 (54-24-123)
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Kills
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37
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54
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Assists
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34
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48
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Service Aces
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3
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2
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Digs
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40
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38
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Total Blocks
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1.0
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11.5
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Points
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41.0
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67.5
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