New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES
PACKED GAME FILE

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | By first glance at the box score, you might think New Jersey City University upset Division I Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday night in the first-ever meeting between the schools in men's volleyball. After all, NJCU had a slightly better hitting percentage, and tallied more points, kills, assists, blocks and service aces than the larger Scarlet Raiders squad. But Rutgers-Newark's experience paid off, as R-N outlasted the Gothic Knights in four competitive, tight sets, 3-1, winning 26-24, 25-21, 21-25, 26-24, in a non-conference match on Tuesday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on “Coach Charlie Brown Court.”
 
NJCU has its two-match winning streak snapped and falls to 7-8 against tough competition. R-N evens its record at 6-6. The Raiders were the second Division I team NJCU has played this season on a schedule that has included four losses to currently nationally ranked Division III teams.
 
In defeat, junior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), who yesterday was named the Skyline Conference co-Player of the Week, became the first NJCU player in five years to notch a triple-double in a match, finishing with 28 assists, 14 kills, and 10 digs, while posting an impressive attack percentage of .448 with just one error (29 attempts), and an accurate setting rate of .444.
 
Beaumont, who matched his career high for kills achieved just two days earlier against Lehman College in a match that lasted an additional set, reached double figures in kills for the fourth match in a row, notched his fourth straight double-double, and his 10^th career double-digit digs effort. His triple-double was the first since Maurice Washington (Orlando, FL), had 43 assists, 11 digs, 10 kills and hit .643 in a 3-2 win at Hunter College on March 8, 2007.
 
Meanwhile, freshman outside hitter and three-time Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) had a match-high 19 kills, hit .279 (19-7-43) and added seven digs, three blocks and two service aces. Arslani reached double figures in kills for the 12^th time in 15 matches this year and had the match-high in kills for an 11th time.
 
“Even though we lost, I've never been more excited with our team,” said first-year head coach Kevin Rodgers. “I feel like we gave it our all, we played well and we weren't scared of the name we were playing on the other side. I feel with the level of competition we're going against, this is going to prepare us for the playoffs in April.”

Freshman middle blocker PATRYK RUSZNICA (Cieszyn, Poland/Bayonne) continued being a weapon in the middle, slamming seven kills with just one error on 13 attempts for a .462 percentage, while rejecting a career-high six blocks (five assisted). It was the ninth time this year he has tallied four or blocks and the fifth effort of at least five stuffs.
 
Also for NJCU, senior outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) increased his career kills mark to 842, finishing with seven winners. Junior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) provided 17 assists and rookie opposite ANGEL MARTINEZ (Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) had five kills, five digs, three assists and three aces. Junior VIN GENOVA (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) landed two aces.
 
Rutgers-Newark was paced by senior right side Austin Pappas (Trabuco Canyon, CA/Tesoro) with 17 kills, a .314 attack effort (17-6-35), three aces and two blocks while freshman setter Manuel Felipez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista) delivered a match-high 45 assists with five digs and two blocks.
 
Also for the R-N, junior middle hitter Brett Pickens (Anaheim, CA/Lutheran of Orange County) hit .467 with nine kills (9-2-15) and four blocks while senior outside hitter Marcin Midura (Linden, NJ/St. Joseph's (Metuchen)  had 10 kills and hit .250 (10-4-24). Senior libero Zack Chambers (Oneida, NY/Oneida) had a match-high 13 digs. Senior outside hitter Grant Metheny (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos) had eight digs, seven kills, and three blocks, but committed seven attack errors.
 
NJCU had 68.0 points, 52 kills, a season-high 9.0 blocks, and seven service aces and hit .240 as a team (52-23-121). R-N's percentage was similar (.238, 47-22-105) with nine less points and five fewer kills while collecting 7.0 blocks and five aces.
 
Rodgers, on the continued exception play of Beaumont, said: “I have Justin playing two positions and in each position he's doing fantastic. He has hit over .400 for the past week. His setting percentage is one of the highest in the conference and he's one of my best passers and defenders. I can't ask any more from Justin.”
 
In a match with 40 ties and 17 lead changes, the opening set was the most see-saw battle, with 16 ties and seven lead swaps. Arslani had five kills for NJCU in the set and Beaumont hit .600 with three kills and eight assists. Pickens hit .600 with four kills for R-N (4-1-5) with three blocks and Pappas added four kills and two blocks (.429, 4-1-7). NJCU had a 13-10 edge in kills in the game.
 
Neither team led by more than two points until R-N broke a 14-14 tie by scoring four of the next five points as Pappas and Pickens combined for two blocks sandwiched around a Metheny solo stuff. NJCU battled back, and tied it at 18-18 after a Martinez ace and a double block by Arslani and sophomore middle blocker NATHAN JOUBERT (Union City, NJ/Union City). After trading ties at 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21, Beaumont smashed down an over ball for a 22-21 lead and after a ball handling error tied it, a slam by Lisk put NJCU ahead by one. A kill by Pappas tied it before a combo block on the right side by Metheny and Pickens put R-N on top, 24-23. An Arslani roll shot over a double block tied it again on set point, 24-24. But R-N scored the final two points; a Pickens kill gave the visitors a second set point before an attack error in the middle gave the Raiders a 26-24 win.
 
NJCU again had the edge in kills in game two (14-12) but R-N was more accurate, hitting .370 (12-2-27), led by Metheny with a .500 rate and four kills. Arslani had eight of NJCU's 14 kills and hit .333 in the period (8-3-15) while Beaumont dished seven assists, six digs and four kills, hitting .571 (4-0-7).
 
There were seven ties and two lead changes in the period but R-N led 19-15 after a setter dump by Felipez. A Beaumont winner and back-to-back errors by Pappas made it a one-point game, 19-18. But two kills, including a cross-courter by Metheny made it 21-18. A back-row tip kill by Arslani made it 21-19, and after another kill by Metheny, Arslani tooled the block to make the deficit 22-20. But NJCU committed a service error—one of 18 such errors in the match—and R-N again led by three, 23-20 before the Raiders prevailed, 25-21.
 
The third set was led by NJCU for most of the game as NJCU hit .440 with 14 kills (14-3-25) and R-N's percentage dipped to .095 (10-8-21). Beaumont delivered eight assists and five kills, hitting .500 (5-0-10). Lisk was a perfect 3-for-3 on attack in the set.
 
Tied 10-10, NJCU slowly built a comfortable lead and gained a 17-12 edge on a Martinez kill, a combo block by Rusznica and Arslani, and a Genova ace. The lead increased to 19-13 when Beaumont collected a backrow kill on a ridiculous cross-court angle inside the 10-foot line. R-N drew within three, 20-17 before a kill by Beaumont that caused a blocking error gave NJCU back momentum. Arslani used the tape on the top of the net for an ace and a 22-17 advantage and a cross-court shot by Lisk made it 23-19 before Arslani extended the match to four sets with a kill and a 25-21 win.
 
In yet another set that needed extra points to decide, R-N outlasted NJCU, 26-24 in a period that featured six lead changes and 13 more ties. It was the only set where R-N had more kills than NJCU (15-11) and the Raiders hit .273 while the Knights .147 team percentage (11-6-34) was its lowest of the night. Pappas made a major difference with a .545 attack effort, six kills and no errors (11 swings). Pickens hit .600 (3-0-5) and Midura landed four kills and hit .429. Four NJCU players had multiple kills in the game.
 
NJCU led 12-10 before the Raiders scored seven of the next eight points to claim a 17-13 margin. Pappas served five straight points, landing two aces. Two kills by Arslani, an R-N ball handling error, and a yellow card all gave NJCU points as the lead was cut to 18-17. After an attack error, NJCU kept it close with a kill in the middle by Beaumont, but another attack error and a Pappas cross-court winner made it 21-18. The lead was three, 22-19, on another Pappas kill.
 
NJCU didn't quit; a Martinez kill and a Raider attack that sailed long made it a one-point game, 22-21. After Pappas again had a smash on the right side, a tip kill by Arslani made it 23-22, and the Knights finally tied it when Joubert and Martinez combined for a rejection at 23-23. A kill by Pickens gave R-N match point before a Raider ball handling error again tied it, 24-24. But NJCU committed another service error and on its second match point, Felipez and Pickens combined for a right side block to end it for the visitors.
 
NJCU is back in action on Thursday, February 23 at 7 p.m. when it hosts Yeshiva University in a home Skyline Conference match at the JMAC. R-N heads to the College of Mount Saint Vincent on February 25 at 1 p.m. for a non-conference tilt.