Kean hit .341 as a team with 39 kills and only 10 attack errors (39-10-85). NJCU committed a combined 38 errors in all categories in the loss.
Kean was led by two-time Metro Division Player of the Week and sophomore outside hitter Steve Vahalla (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) who tallied a match-high 12 kills and a .286 attack percentage (12-4-28). Junior setter Sam Haimann (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) finished with 31 assists in 66 attempts for a .470 setting percentage. He also floored five kills in 10 attempts and only one error for a .400 attack rate.
Kean was without top rookie hitter Christian Portera (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick), but received contributions from its other newcomers. Freshman outside hitter James Pompeo (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) hit .429 with eight kills (8-2-14)—matching his career best output of eight kills and .429 achieved on March 11 at D'Youville College. He added two aces. Rookie middle hitter Alx Draughan (Wilson, NC/Beddingfield) had nine kills and hit .273 (9-3-22).
For NJCU, junior KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) started at middle hitter, moved to outside hitter, then returned to middle due to a team injury. He displayed his versatility with 10 kills and a .400 attack percentage (10-2-20), adding three blocks.
Senior setter and co-captain JORGE RODRIGUEZ (Havana, Cuba/Memorial) delivered 31 assists, increasing his career total to 2,440. Senior defensive specialist WILTON JIMENEZ (Passaic, NJ/Passaic), the third four-year player honored in pre-match ceremonies, had five digs.
Sophomore outside hitter MICHAL KUCZA (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) totaled six kills (6-4-17, .118). Rookie right side RICH BOYLE (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had seven winners and two blocks while rookie middle hitter NATHAN JOUBERT (Union City, NJ/Union City) hit .273 with six kills (6-3-11).
All three sets were competitive, particularly the first and third. In the opening period there were seven ties and three lead changes but most of the exchanges happened early. Kean, leading 11-10, extended the advantage to 14-10 as Pompeo landed back-to-back aces. A setter attack by Haimann followed by an NJCU error made it 16-11. NJCU closed to 18-15 when Lisk and Kucza combined for a block on Vahalla and the teams traded the next six points, all on kills as Kean led 22-18. An NJCU attack error and a kill by Vahalla gave the Cougars set point, 24-19. NJCU fought back as Edra landed a kill and the Cougars committed three consecutive attack miscues, as the margin dwindled to 24-23. But after a Kean timeout, Vahalla landed his fourth kill of the set for a two-point, 25-23 win.
There were 15 ties and six lead changes in the second set but Kean posted a .571 team attack percentage with 13 kills and just one error (13-1-21), while siding out 14-of-17 opportunities (82 percent). Draughan was particularly on target for the Cougars, hitting .625 with six kills in the set (6-1-8). Lisk tried to keep NJCU in the set, also slamming six kills with a .417 percentage (6-1-12).
With the set even at 9-9, there would be 11 consecutive sideout swaps. Sophomore middle hitter CORRADO DeVINCENZO (Bayonne, NJ/County Prep) had three kills in three swings in the set, including one for a 14-14 tie, before he was forced out of the match with a nagging injury early in the third set. A winner by Lisk made it 16-15. But Kean would score the next seven points to take control of the game—with five points coming directly off of NJCU attack or service errors. Pompeo had a kill that made it 17-10 and Vahalla added an ace for 21-15, before Kean led 22-15, winning the set on a kill by freshman middle hitter Eric Cooney (West Orange, NJ/Home Schooled).
Each team planted 15 kills in the third set, but Kean had a higher accuracy rate at .324 (15-3-37). Pompeo had five kills in seven swings for a .714 percentage in the frame and Vahalla hit .308 with five winners (5-1-13), while Haimann gave out 13 assists. Joubert was nearly perfect for NJCU, burying five kills in six swings for a .833 percentage, with much of the current Union City High School squad in attendance to watch their former teammate. Boyle and Lisk combined for seven more kills in the set.
NJCU looked like it would extend the match early on as the Knights gained a 5-1 lead on consecutive kills by Boyle during a rally in which Edra became the all-time defensive leader at the University. Joubert hammered three consecutive kills to give NJCU a 9-5 cushion. A winner by Kucza made it 11-7. But two attack errors, including a combo block by Cooney and Draughan allowed Kean to draw within 11-10. Kean made a pair of miscues to bring the lead back to 13-10.
Kills by Draughan and Haimann, including one that was allowed to fall when NJCU had a mental lapse, and a subsequent bad set, tied it at 13-13. Boyle and Joubert each had kills to break deadlocks, including one that made it 15-14. But a kill by Cooney and a block by the Cougars, followed by a kill from Vahalla, put the Cougars in front, 17-15. NJCU kept it close and tied it when Edra had a diving dig that went over the net and landed for a defensive kill. The Knights committed consecutive attack errors as Kean went up 21-19. Lisk tried to keep NJCU alive with kills that made it 21-10 and 23-21, and a solo block by Boyle trimmed it to a one-point game, 23-22. Haimann gave the Cougars match point with another kill from the setting position before Boyle pulled the Knights within one yet again, 24-23. However NJCU would not be able to manufacture a comeback as Kean did in a 2-0 deficit in the first meeting of the season, as Vahalla clinched the win with a kill over a double block.
NJCU will play in its final tournament of the season on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 at the Johnson and Wales Invitational in Providence, RI. NJCU faces host JWU and City College of New York on the opening day, with contests against Stevenson University and Lasell on the day two.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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Team Stat Comparison
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NJCU
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KEAN
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Score
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0
|
3
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Attack Percentage
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.130 (35-23-92)
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.341 (39-10-85)
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Kills
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35
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39
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Assists
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32
|
38
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Service Aces
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1
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4
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|
Digs
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26
|
25
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Total Blocks
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4.0
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3.0
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Points
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40.0
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46.0
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