New Jersey City University Athletics

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ALBANY, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) became the first player on record in school history to produce two triples doubles in the same season, finishing with 30 assists, a career high 16 kills and 12 digs and four-time Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) slammed a match-high 20 kills, but New Jersey City University couldn't maintain a 2-1 sets lead and dropped a 3-2 decision (17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 15-9) in a Skyline match on Monday night at Kahl Center.
 
In only the second ever meeting between the schools and the first in Albany, Sage extended its program record winning streak to seven and improved to 12-4 and 7-2 in the league. NJCU dropped to 8-9 and 5-4 in the Skyline. The Gothic Knights had won the only other meeting between the teams on March 7, 2010 in Jersey City, 3-0.
 
Beaumont, who was named to the Skyline's Honor Roll on Monday—one week after being named the league's Player of the Week—registered a triple-double for the second time in three matches and joined Maurice Washington (Orlando, FL) as the only players in known school history with two career triple doubles. Washington had one in 2006 and another as a senior in 2007. Beaumont, who reached double figures in kills for the fifth time in six matches, tallied his fifth double-double of the season and 14^th of his career, while posting his 11^th career double-digit digs effort. He finished the match with a .256 attack percentage (16-5-43), a .323 setting rate and two service aces.
 
Arslani, a freshman outside hitter, reached the 20-kill threshold for the second time in his career, and was just two shy of his career high with 20 winners, six digs, two blocks and a .182 attack rate (20-10-55). Senior outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) delivered 10 kills (10-5-34, .147) and had five digs while freshman middle blocker PATRYK RUSZNICA (Cieszyn, Poland/Bayonne) hit .278 with eight kills (8-3-18) and had five assisted blocks. It was the 10th time this year he has tallied four or more blocks and the sixth effort of at least five stuffs.
 
Rookie opposite ANGEL MARTINEZ (Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) had a career-high 14 digs and added six assists, three aces, three blocks and three kills. Junior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) dished 18 assists and sophomore libero A.J. FLORES (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) defended a career-high 11 digs.
 
Sage was led sophomore outside hitter Dylan Krowicki (Little Falls, NY), who matched Arslani with a match-best 20 kills (20-9-46, .239), adding 15 digs and four blocks for a double-double. Junior middle hitter Spencer Hilland (Slingerlands, NY), this week's co-Skyline Player of the Week finished with 10 kills (10-6-35, .114), nine digs and three blocks while freshman opposite Scott Fitzgerald (Queensbury, NY) added nine kills, hit .233 (9-2-30) and tallied 10 digs and two blocks.
 
The Gators received a double-double of 38 assists and 12 digs from junior setter Kyle Ray (Horseheads, NY). Sophomore middle hitter Connor Thompson (Delmar, NY) rejected six blocks (five assisted).
 
NJCU outplayed Sage in many statistical categories, finishing with a 73.0-60.0 advantage in points, 61-47 margin in kills, 57-42 in assists and had a higher hitting percentage (.198 versus .174).
 
But NJCU's unforced errors were a significant factor in the match, including a school record 25 service errors. In all, the Knights committed 61 errors in the match.
 
In the first set, NJCU hit .344 and had 13 kills as four players had at least two kills. Krowicki had six of Sage's 10 kills in the period. With the action tied at 11-11, NJCU took an 18-13 lead as Beaumont and Lisk each planted a kill and Beaumont uncorked a pair of aces, en route to the 25-17 win.
 
The second set was by far the most competitive with 12 ties and seven lead changes. While NJCU had 14 kills in the set, it committed 10 attack errors; Sage had 10 kills but made just four errors on offense. Krowicki led Sage with five kills and one error (.308). Tied at 12-12, NJCU pushed the lead to 15-14 before Sage fought back and took a 17-15 lead. NJCU rallied back and held a 19-18 lead, before the Gators rebounded for a 20-19 lead on a Thompson block. Knotted once again at 20-20 as the schools traded errors, Sage took a 22-20 lead on a Krowicki kill and NJCU error. Arslani twice drew the Knights within one with a kill at 23-22 and 24-23, before he was blocked by Fitzgerald and Hilland on set point as Sage won 25-23.
 
NJCU never trailed in a tightly-played third set, winning 25-23. NJCU had a 16-7 margin in kills in the game and a .275 attack percentage (16-5-40), versus a .036 clip for the hosts (7-6-28). But it remained close as NJCU committed nine service errors in the period. Beaumont hit .333 with five kills (5-1-12) in the period and Arslani and Lisk combined for seven more winners. The Gothic Knights jumped out to a 7-2 lead before owning a 13-8 lead. The Gators did not go away and tied the action at 21-21 on back-to-back kills by Ray and Thompson. NJCU scored the next two points on errors and led 24-22 on a smash by Arslani. Fitzgerald made it a one-point game before he committed a service error on set point.
 
Leading 2-1 with a chance to put the match away, the Knights played well in the fourth set with 13 kills and a team .242 percentage. Arslani hit .750 in the period with six kills and no errors. But Sage picked up its offensive effort with 15 kills (15-6-38, .237) and Hilland hit .556 with six kills and one error. Sage started the fourth set strong and held a 13-8 lead followed by a 19-14 lead after a combo block by Krowicki and Thompson.
 
NJCU reeled off four straight points, aided by three Krowicki attack errors and cut Sage's lead to one, 19-18, forcing a Gator timeout. Krowicki and Rusznica traded kills and Hilland and Arslani did the same before Beaumont put away an attack to tie it at 21-21. Beaumont had another kill to tie it at 22-22 before Sage built a 24-22 advantage with kills by Hilland and Fitzgerald. With two set points in hand, the Gators allowed NJCU to remain alive, scoring three straight points on an attack error, a yellow card to the head coach, and a bad set. NJCU led 25-24 and had match point before Hilland had a kill to tie it as the Knights were called for a blocking error. Two more NJCU attack errors, one forced by a block by Hilland and Krowicki, gave Sage the set, 27-25, and forced a fifth set.
 
In the decisive fifth period, Sage never trailed and hit .214 versus NJCU's line of 5-5-22. Sage held a 4-0 lead after three straight Gothic Knight errors and a Krowicki winner and the advantage swelled to 8-2 as Krowicki, who had four of Sage's five kills in the period, landed two more. Back-to-back blocks—one by Krowicki and Thompson and the second by Thompson and Fitzgerald made it a 10-4 lead for the Gators. The Gothic Knights held tough and pulled within four points, down 10-6 before they served into the net on each of their next two possessions. Sage increased the margin to 14-8 after several more errors and won the contest on a kill by Krowicki.
 
NJCU will be back in action on Sunday, March 4 in a Skyline Conference Quad match hosted by the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, NY. NJCU plays MSV at 10 a.m. and NYU-Poly at 12 p.m.