New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

UNION, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | In the first meeting of the season between the two schools to receive first place votes in the 2013 Skyline Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, defending league champion Kean University did not trail in the final two sets and hit .284 as a team as the Cougars swept New Jersey City University, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) in a league match on February 11 at Harwood Arena.
 
Kean (5-3, 3-1 Skyline), which fell out of this week's AVCA Division III Top 15 Poll for the first time this season but did receive six points in the poll (17^th place), posted 39 kills versus 16 attack errors on 81 attempts to assemble a .284 percentage.
 
NJCU (5-4, 2-2 Skyline) had 22 kills but committed 19 errors (58 attempts) and hit .052 as a team. Kean had a 49.0-31.0 advantage in points earned.
 
NJCU sophomore outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley), the reigning Skyline Player of the Week, had a team-high nine kills but was held to a .000 percentage (9-9-22). Arslani uncorked three service aces and stuffed two solo blocks.
 
Reigning Skyline Player of the Year and senior outside hitter Steve Vahalla (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) paced the Cougars with a match-high 10 kills and hit .333 (10-3-21) with four aces, while sophomore right side Ed Jedziniak (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) posted a .615 attack percentage with nine kills and only one error on 13 attempts. He was involved in both of Kean's blocks in the match.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Kyle Farley (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) added nine kills (9-5-24, .167). Sophomore setter Ron Dunn (Collingswood, NJ/Collingswood) delivered 32 assists and two aces.
 
Also for NJCU, senior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) finished with nine assists and five kills (5-5-14, .000). Junior libero A.J. FLORES (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) defended eight digs and freshman opposite HAMZA ELSAMMAK (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) contributed three blocks.
 
Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) dished eight assists. Freshman outside hitter NICK POH (Richmond, VA)/Varina (VA)) had NJCU's best attack percentage with four kills and no errors (seven swings) for a .571 rate.
 
Kean reached double figures in kills in each set but the first period was in question the longest, as the schools traded five ties and one lead change. The Knights led from the onset and held a 13-10 lead before a Jedziniak kill led to a sideout. From there Vahalla would serve seven in a row, serving three aces in a four-point span, before the Cougars gained a 17-13 lead at the end of a 7-0 run. Kills by Jedziniak, who had four kills in six swings in the game (.667), made it 19-16. NJCU was able to draw within two at 22-20 on an Arslani kill and 24-22 on a Beaumont winner before Jedziniak's fourth kill sealed the 25-22 win. Kean hit .308 in the game (13-5-26) and had a 13-7 advantage in kills in the set. Vahalla had five kills (5-2-11, .273) in the game. Beaumont hit .333 with four kills for NJCU in the set (.333, 4-2-6).
 
There were a pair of ties in the second set when Kean used a 14-8 margin in kills to take a 2-0 lead. The Cougars hit .233 behind Farley (4-2-8, .250) and Jedziniak (4-1-6, .500) in the game. Kean led 21-16 before NJCU reeled off four points, highlighted by a kill and later a block by Elsammak, and pulled with one, 21-10. But after a Kean timeout, the hosts got a kill from Jedziniak and two from Vahalla to gain a 24-21 cushion before Farley put a ball away on set point.
 
Kean led the entire third set and used an 8-2 run to turn a close 10-9 contest into an 18-11 differential. Kean held a 24-14 cushion before NJCU fought off four match points, as the Knights stuffed three blocks on the next four points, including two solos by Arslani to make it 24-18. But the rally ended when Farley sealed the win, 25-18, with a winner. Arslani hit .286 with four kills in the final set (4-2-7). Kean hit .320 with 12 kills (12-4-25) as Vahalla, Farley, and sophomore middle hitter Mike Scheuermann (Kenilworth, NJ/Roselle Catholic) each had three kills without an error in the final game.
 
NJCU is back on the court on Sunday, February 17 in a Skyline Quad, hosted by NYU-Poly in Brooklyn, NY. The Knights face Ramapo College at 2 p.m. on a neutral court before meeting host NYU-Poly at 4 p.m.