New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

BROOKLYN, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | A short-handed New Jersey City University squad was held to a .065 attack percentage and dropped a 3-1 decision to Ramapo College, 25-14, 14-25, 25-16, 25-21, in the opening match of a Skyline Conference quad match hosted by NYU-Poly on February 17 at the Jacobs Building.
 
NJCU (5-5, 2-3 NJAC), playing its first match in two years without reigning Skyline Player of the Week and sophomore outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley), who sat out with an injury, wasn't able to compensate offensively for his absence. Ramapo (6-4, 5-0 Skyline), which defeated NJCU for the 17^th consecutive meeting, had a 54-35 advantage in kills in the match. The Roadrunners hit .240 as a team (54-23-129).
 
Senior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) registered the 20^th double-double of his career and third of the season with 13 kills (13-10-45, .067) and a season-high 16 digs. Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) dished 33 assists (.363) with a career-high four assisted blocks.
 
Freshman KENDALL TRIBBETT (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) made his first career start at opposite and landed seven kills while freshman middle blocker DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJU/Camden County Tech) hit .273 with five kills (5-2-11), six digs and four assisted blocks. Sophomore middle IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) added six kills (6-3-17, .176) and three solo blocks.
 
Ramapo, coached by former NJCU head coach Kevin Rodgers, only used six players in the match. Junior 6-foot-7 opposite Chris Sidnam (Smithtown, NY) paced the Roadrunners with 16 kills (16-7-35, .257), three blocks and two aces while junior setter Harsh Prajapati (Old Bridge, NJ) dished 47 assists in 104 attempts (.452) with eight digs, two aces and two blocks.
 
Freshman outside hitter Peter Desvousges (Flemington, NJ) contributed a double-double of 12 kills (12-8-32, .125) and 10 digs, landing two aces. Junior 6-foot-7 middle blocker Mike Kane (Toms River, NJ) tallied nine kills (9-4-25, .200), seven blocks (six assisted) and six digs. Sophomore opposite Tyler DeBoer (Atlantic Highlands, NJ) produced a .615 attack percentage with eight kills and no errors (13 attempts), adding three blocks and two aces. Junior Aaron Kerschner (Harrisburg, PA), typically Ramapo's libero, played outside hitter and finished with 18 digs, seven kills (7-3-18, .222) and three blocks.
 
In the opening set Ramapo hit .364 with 16 kills (16-4-33) and the Knights, trying to adjust their offense without Arslani, were limited to a -.033 rate. RCNJ held leads of 17-8 and 21-11 before winning by 11 points, 25-14. Sidnam had six kills and hit .500 in the set (6-1-10). DeBoer hit .571 with four kills (4-0-7).
 
There were five ties and four lead changes in game two, with NJCU owning a 13-9 edge in kills. Beaumont had five kills in the set for NJCU while Preston dished 12 assists. NJCU led 16-11 before RCNJ rallied to tie it at 19-19, scoring three straight points. A solo block by Prensa made it 20-19 before Ramapo scored the next two points on NJCU attack errors. Prensa put away a kill to tie it, and a block by Preston and Wilcox put NJCU in front, 22-21. NJCU scored five of the final six points of the game, with two kills from Beaumont making it 24-22 after Desvousges had cut the deficit to 23-22. An error by Desvousges gave the Knights the set, 25-22.
 
RCNJ never trailed in set three and hit .424 with 16 kills and only two errors on 33 swings to overcome NJCU's 11 kills. Sidnam and Desvousges each had four kills in the set while Kane and DeBoer had three each. Ramapo jumped out to leads of 17-9 and 21-11 before winning by nine, 25-16.
 
In the fourth set, NJCU tried to extend the match to five games, as the clubs traded 10 ties and three lead changes. But NJCU couldn't overcome a decidedly unfavorable kill margin, 13-5. Sidnam had four kills while Desvousges and Kane landed three apiece. Tied at 14-14, the Roadrunners scored eight consecutive points to grab a 22-14 advantage, as three different RCNJ players landed a kill and Kane and Kerschner teamed for a block before Ramapo was awarded two points for yellow cards. NJCU ran off five straight points late to claw within 23-20, after a kill by Beaumont, a Preston/Wilcox combo block and a Prensa ace, before kills by Kane and Sidnam sealed the 25-21 decision.