New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 BOX SCORE: NJCU vs. Gallaudet
BOX SCORE: Lehman vs. Penn State-Behrend
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete features: JORDON CASILLAS, JONATHAN FONT, DONELL GEE and KENDALL TRIBBETT

JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | One day after appearing on ESPN 'Sports Center' for a blooper play, freshman setter/outside hitter RAYMEL CASTRO (Newark, NJ/Barringer) headlined a Gothic Knight victory with an all-around stellar effort. Castro hit .700 with seven kills without an error and New Jersey City University wrapped up a long day of men's volleyball on February 23 in the final match of a six-contest non-conference quad, by sweeping Gallaudet University, 3-0 (25-6, 25-18, 25-18) at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
NJCU (9-6) completed the quad with a 2-1 match play record and owned a 53.0 to 17.0 differential in points while holding an opponent to a negative attack percentage for the third time in four matches. Gallaudet (0-9) went 0-3 at the quad. The first-year Bison hit -.017 (14-15-59). It was the first meeting between the schools.
 
Castro, who had just seven kills in his first eight career matches, put away his seven winners on 10 attempts. He delivered 11 assists and contributed four blocks and two aces.
 
Freshman middle hitter DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJU/Camden County Tech) completed a three-match stretch that included a school-record hitting percentage against Lehman College, with a combined 30 kills. Against GU, he posted a sizzling .545 percentage with seven kills versus one error (11 attempts) while also stuffing four blocks.
 
Sophomore middle hitter IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) equaled a career-high and finished with a match-best nine kills (9-5-18, .222) and collected two blocks and two aces.
 
Also for NJCU, senior outside hitter/setter JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) delivered 12 assists in 21 attempts for a .571 setting percentage, while unleashing four of NJCU's 11 aces in two sets. Sophomore outside BILL LE (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder) tallied seven digs. Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) chalked up eight assists in two sets.
 
For the Bison, freshman libero James Wilson (Tucson, AZ) and freshman opposite Isaac Flink (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) each provided 10 digs. Junior outside Daniel Walters (Litchfield, MN) hit .750, with three kills on four tries.
 
NJCU dominated the first set, hitting .364 with a 10-2 margin in kills. The Bison were held to a -.273 percentage at the net as the Knights jumped out to a 7-0 advantage and led 16-1 before easily winning the game by 19 points.
 
Overall, 11 different Gothic Knights saw action in the match and NJCU's reserves saw most of the time in the final two games. Castro, who played in all three sets, was the notable player in set two, hitting .833 with five kills on six swings; Prensa also had five kills and hit .375 in the game. NJCU never trailed, and used a 14-5 differential in kills to prevail by seven. Leading 11-8, NJCU seized control of the set with seven consecutive points to claim an 18-8 cushion. Prensa had two kills during a stretch of four winners in a row for the hosts before Castro put away a shot to win the game, 25-18.
 
In set three, Wilcox, one of only two starters on the floor for NJCU, hit .500 with five kills (5-1-8). Freshman Jordon Casillas (Clifton, NJ/Passaic County Tech), typically a libero, played front row and hit .429 in the game with three kills and no errors (seven attempts). GU was able to draw within two points, 16-14, in the middle of the game before the Knights thwarted any chance for the visitors to surprise them by uncorking five straight points as Castro landed back-to-back aces,  and Prensa and Wilcox each floored a kill and combined for one block, before winning again, 25-18.
 
NJCU is back on the court on Wednesday, February 27 at 7 p.m. when it hosts Ramapo College in Skyline Conference action. Ramapo won the first meeting between the schools, 3-1, on a neutral court on February 17.
  Penn State-Behrend (8-7) completed the quad with a 3-0 record and moved above .500; Lehman (5-5) was 1-2 at the quad. PSU-Behrend hit .359 as a team with 33 kills (33-10-64). The Lightning were limited to a -.086 percentage with 24 kills versus 31 errors (81 attempts).
 
Freshman middle hitter Josh Oertly (Cochranton, PA) finished the day with a combined 29 kills as he paced the Lions with a .467 percentage and 10 winners (10-3-15), with seven blocks (six assisted). PSU stuffed 13.0 combined blocks in the three sets.
 
Junior outside hitter Grant Kocher (McMurray, PA) notched a .533 percentage with nine kills against one error (15 attempts), adding three assisted blocks and junior setter Colin Ingram (Hilliard, OH) dished 26 assists at a .464 rate (56 attempts), with three blocks. He also put away four kills in as many attempts.
 
Junior outside Nathan Steele (Cranberry Township, PA) hit .500 (5-1-8) and freshman middle hitter Tyler Karl (Nazareth, PA) chipped in five blocks.
 
Lehman's best effort was by senior setter/middle blocker Luis Colon (Bronx, NY), who ended with 13 assists and six kills. All other Lightning players had negative percentages at the net.