New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

RIVERDALE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University freshman middle blocker PATRYK RUSZNICA (Cieszyn, Poland/Bayonne) posted a sizzling .636 attack percentage and the Gothic Knights used a balanced offense to cruise past host College of Mount Saint Vincent, 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-20), in the second match of a Skyline Conference Quad on Sunday afternoon at the Sharp Center.

NJCU swept both matches of the conference quad to improve to 10-9 overall and 7-4 in the league, while clinching no worse than a tie for the final playoff berth in the league tournament on April 14. Mount Saint Vincent, in fifth place in the league, fell to 5-10 and 4-7 Skyline. The Dolphins would need to win out in its final three conference matches, including another match in Jersey City against NJCU on April 3, to catch the Knights in the standings. NJCU leads the all-time series, 23-19.
 
A key to the straight sets victory was NJCU limiting mistakes. The Knights matched a season-low with six service errors and only committed 30 errors in the entire contest.
 
Rusznica had seven kills and no errors on 11 attempts while stuffing four blocks and landing a pair of service aces. It was the 12th time this year he has tallied four or more blocks.
 
Four-time Skyline Rookie of the Week BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) had eight kills, seven digs and four blocks while senior outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) hit .417 with five kills and no errors (12 attempts). Junior libero VIN GENOVA (South Plainfield, NJ/South Plainfield) had his third double-digit digs effort of the season with 10 and sophomore libero A.J. FLORES (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) defended eight digs.
 
Junior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), who typically plays setter in the backrow and right side in the front rotation, was in the opposite hitter role for the entire match for the second time on Sunday and finished with eight kills (11 errors) six digs, two blocks and two aces. Junior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) set all the way around and finished with 29 assists and five digs. Freshman middle blocker IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) added three blocks (one solo).
 
MSV was led by senior middle blocker Joe Ecock (Brooklyn, NY) who landed a match-high 12 kills (12-9-36, .083) while senior setter Michael Sin (Hicksville, NY) dished 23 assists. The Dolphins also received a match-high 11 digs from sophomore opposite Timothy Kolodny (Woodland Hills, CA) and eight digs, five kills and two solo blocks by senior outside hitter Chris Bacchi (Hicksville, NY).
 
NJCU never trailed in the opening set, opening a 17-10 lead before cruising to a 10-point, 25-15 decision. NJCU held a 13-5 edge in kills in the set and hit .276 while limiting the Dolphins to a -.062 percentage.
 
In the second set, the Knights hit just .071 and the Dolphins owned the kills margin (11-9). Despite being outhit, NJCU held a 17-10 lead before MSV rallied back to make it an 18-16 deficit. Arslani had a pair of kills to make it 20-17, but Ecock and Bacchi added winners for MSV and the NJCU cushion was still two, 20-18. Lisk planted a shot but an NJCU attack error on the next play kept the Dolphins within striking distance at 21-19. The clubs traded kills once more and it stood 22-20 before Beaumont put the set away with back-to-back kills for a 24-20 advantage and Ecock committed an attack error as the Knights won 25-20.
 
The third set had an identical 25-20 result in a game with six ties and three lead changes and each club chalked up nine kills in the period. Mount grabbed a 14-10 lead before the Knights rallied to tie it after a Beaumont winner and Rusznica ace. MSV regained a 17-16 edge but NJCU scored the next three, including an ace by Beaumont and an Arslani kill for a 19-17 margin. The Dolphins cut NJCU's lead to one on three occasions, including 20-19 after a kill by Ecock. But MSV committed a pair of errors and Lisk floored a kill for a 23-20 cushion before two more offensive errors by the hosts sealed the win for NJCU.
 
The Gothic Knights will be idle until Friday, March 9 when they head to Stevenson, MD for a non-conference match with Stevenson University at 5 p.m.