New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

NEW PALTZ, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University freshman outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) slammed a match-best 14 kills but it wasn't enough to overcome the size of SUNY New Paltz as the Hawks never trailed in the first two sets and swept the Gothic Knights, 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-23) in a non-conference match played on Thursday night at the Hawk Center.
 
The match was the regular season finale for NJCU which will enter the Skyline Conference semifinals on April 14 with a 14-16 overall record and 14-14 against Division III schools. New Paltz (18-10) has been ranked as high as 12^th in the country and is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Division III Top 15 Poll. NP leads the all-time series, 18-2 and has won the last 13 meetings.
 
In a season in which NJCU has played arguably the most challenging schedule in the nation, the Hawks were the ninth team out of 19 that have been nationally ranked this season to have defeated the Knights. NJCU is 0-12 this against teams that are currently or have been ranked, also falling to Juniata College, Stevens Institute of Technology, Vassar College, Hunter College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and twice falling to Rivier College, Kean University and Ramapo College. NJCU also has a pair of losses to Division I opponents this season. Ramapo will be NJCU's next opponent on Saturday, April 14 at 3:30 p.m. at Kean's Harwood Arena in Union, NJ.
 
Arslani, a six-time Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week and one-time Player of the Week, floored 14 kills with nine digs, two blocks and two aces, hitting .108 (14-10-37). He reached double figures in kills for the 23^rd time in 30 matches and posted a match-high in kills for the 17^th time this season.
 
Junior setter/right side JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had another all-around solid match, finishing with 17 assists, eight kills, a .263 attack rate (8-3-19), six digs and two blocks. Senior outside hitter KENNY LISK (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) hit .333 (7-2-15) with seven winners, six digs and two blocks and increased his four-year kills mark to 960.
 
Junior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) chipped in 13 assists. NJCU also received three blocks by freshman middle IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) and two stuffs with four kills from rookie middle blocker PATRYK RUSZNICA (Cieszyn, Poland/Bayonne).
 
On Senior Night in New Paltz, senior opposite Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) narrowly missed a triple-double as the 6-foot-4 player picked up a team high 11 kills and eight total blocks while dishing out six assists. He was helped by sophomore setter Misa Garo (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Hayes), who handed out 26 assists and added five kills of his own to hit at a team-best .556 clip.
 
New Paltz posted a .287 team attack percentage (36-11-87) and although NJCU had two more total kills, the Hawks scored points by forcing 27 Gothic Knight attack errors. NP teamed for 12.0 total blocks.
 
Defensively, senior libero Michael Dauernheim (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) came up with a match-high 11 digs, but NJCU took the edge with 33 total digs to the Hawks' 30. Sophomore outside hitter Brian O'Connor (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) contributed five blocks and four kills while hitting .333 (4-0-12) and 6-foot-6 sophomore middle blocker Dylan Rabidoux (Rochester, NY/Spencerport) added six blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) planted seven kills and hit .357 (7-2-14).
 
While the first two set scores were close in the final scores, NP was only tied twice in the first period, including 15-15 on a Lisk smash shot. NJCU remained close, trailed 16-15, 17-16 after a winner by Rusznica and 21-20 after the Knights bounced back from a 20-17 and 21-18 deficit. But NP scored four of the final five points of the sets, aided by two Gothic Knight attack errors before a kill by Tuminelli clinched the first game.
 
In the second game, NJCU had a 12-11 edge in kills but New Paltz hit at an impressive .409 rate with only two errors in 22 attempts, while adding five blocks. Arslani had eight of NJCU's 12 kills in the period, hitting .267 in the set (8-4-15). But NP jumped out to leads of 7-1 and 13-4 and maintained a 20-11 cushion after back-to-back blocks by Van Tyne and Rabidoux. NJCU fought back and scored eight of the next 12 points, whittling the lead to four, 23-19. Arslani had four kills during the late rally attempt. But the deficit proved too much to overcome and after a service error, Tuminelli also clinched the second set with a winner.
 
In the third set, NP hit .323 and landed 15 kills. Lisk was 4-for-4 on attack for the Knights as there were six ties and three lead changes. NJCU led 17-16 on a kill by Prensa and 18-17 after a Hawk service error. But NP responded by scoring the next three points as Van Tyne had one kill and teamed with O'Connor for a block. The Hawks managed to hold a two or three point lead until the final moments when a kill by Beaumont and a subsequent NP attack error made it a one-point game at 24-23. On match point, Van Tyne floored a kill as the Hawks prevailed, 25-23.