New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

BROOKLYN, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) had the best match of his career, dishing 31 assists with seven kills, five aces and two blocks and New Jersey City University uncorked 16 service aces in improving to 27-0 all-time against Polytechnic Institute of New York University, sweeping the host Blue Jays, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-17), in the second match of a Skyline Conference quad on February 17 at the Jacobs Building.
 
NJCU (6-5, 3-3 Skyline) had a nearly 3:1 ratio in points at 60.0 to 23.0. NYU-Poly fell to 4-7 overall (3-3 Skyline). NJCU has swept NYU-Poly in 25 of the 27 all-time meetings.
 
Preston delivered a .525 setting percentage (59 attempts) and had career highs in both kills and aces. He hit .333 with seven kills (7-3-12). As a junior in 2012, the setter had two kills and four blocks all season and he only had one block and two kills this year prior to Sunday's matches.
 
Freshman middle blocker DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJU/Camden County Tech) hit .385 with seven kills (7-2-13), three aces and two blocks and freshman outside hitter NICK POH (Richmond, VA)/Varina (VA)) posted a .667 percentage with six kills and no errors on nine swings, adding five digs.
 
Also for NJCU, freshman outside hitter ELICIO OLIVARES (West New York, NJ/Memorial) hit .600 with four kills (4-1-5) and two aces. Rookie opposite HAMZA ELSAMMAK (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) added six kills. Freshman  libero JON DIAZ (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) contributed a match-high seven digs.
 
For NYU-Poly, junior outside Fild Kroqi (Bronx, NY) had a match-high 10 kills but hit .103 (10-7-29), adding five digs and four assists. Junior setter Rishi Sarkar (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) collected 12 assists.
 
NJCU recorded double figures in kills in each set, with a 13-5 differential in the opening game, 15-8 in set two and 11-4 in the final period.
 
In game one, NJCU hit .286 as a team with a revamped lineup. After four early ties and three lead changes, the Gothic Knights took control, jumping out to leads of 14-8 and 24-11 before prevailing by 13 points, 25-12. Poh paced NJCU in set one, hitting .625 with five kills (5-0-8) while Preston had 10 assists.
 
In game two, there were six ties and three lead changes, but again all occurred early in the set. NYU-Poly did hit .333 in the game (8-2-18) but had barely half the number of kills as the Knights (15). Elsammak was a perfect 3-for-3 in attack in the set while Preston and Wilcox each totaled three kills and Preston gave out 11 assists. NJCU led by just one, 11-10, before scoring six of the next seven points for a 17-11 cushion as three different Knights landed a winner. The lead expanded to 20-12 before NYU-Poly put together a mini 5-1 run to draw within four, 21-17. Olivares floored kills for the 24^th and 25^th points to seal the set by six points, 25-19.
 
The third game was all NJCU as the visiting Knights never trailed and had an 11-7 margin in kills as four different players recorded multiple winners, led by Wilcox with three kills and a .333 rate (3-1-6). NJCU scored the first nine points of the set behind Preston, who landed all five of his aces during the opening run. NJCU pushed the lead to 11-2 and 19-12 before cruising to the 25-17 decision.
 
NJCU returns to action on Tuesday, February 19 at 8 p.m. when it hosts Yeshiva University in a Skyline Conference match at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'