New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE
GAME PROGRAM/NOTES: Inside-the-Athlete feature, NICK POH
 
JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University couldn't get in rhythm offensively and Ramapo College had double figures in kills in all three sets as the Roadrunners swept a Skyline Conference men's volleyball match from NJCU, 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-16), on February 27 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on 'Coach Charlie Brown Court.'
 
Ramapo (8-4, 6-0 Skyline) won its eighth consecutive match to remain unbeaten and in first place in league play while sweeping the season series from NJCU (9-7, 4-4 Skyline).
 
Despite the return of First-Team All-Skyline standout and sophomore outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley), who missed the first meeting between the schools on February 17 with an injury and sat out the past six matches (21 sets), no Gothic Knight had more than six kills individually.
 
Senior outside hitter JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had a team-high six kills and seven digs while Arslani, who played back-row in the opening game before moving to outside for the final two sets, had five kills, six digs and two blocks.
 
Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) dished 22 assists and freshman middle blocker DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJU/Camden County Tech) hit .250 with four kills and four blocks. Freshman opposite KENDALL TRIBBETT (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) had three blocks.
 
Ramapo, coached by former NJCU head coach and men's volleyball standout Kevin Rodgers, was led by junior outside hitter Aaron Kerschner (Harrisburg, PA) with a match-best 12 kills and a .368 percentage (12-5-19), adding six digs and two blocks and junior 6-foot-7 opposite Chris Sidnam (Smithtown, NY) collected seven kills, five blocks and two aces.
 
Junior 6-foot-7 middle blocker Mike Kane (Toms River, NJ) tallied six kills (6-3-14, .214) and a pair of blocks while junior outside Nick Hrehovcik (Little Falls, NJ/Passaic Valley) finished with nine digs, five kills (5-2-13, .231) and three blocks.
 
In split time, junior setter Harsh Prajapati (Old Bridge, NJ) dished 20 assists in two sets before junior setter Andrew Balint (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) had nine assists in the third set.
 
Ramapo, which had 13 more kills than NJCU on the night, had 13 in the first set and hit .259, paced by Sidnam with five kills and a .500 attack rate (5-1-8). Tied at 3-3, RCNJ scored seven of the next eight points to open a six-point lead and held a fairly comfortable margin throughout the set. The Knights came as close as 13-11 before a kill and later a block by Sidnam expanded the lead. NJCU drew within 16-14 on a pair of kills from freshman outside hitter NICK POH (Richmond, VA/Varina (VA)) before RCNJ pushed the lead  back to six, 22-16, on a winner by Kerschner and capped the game on a Sidnam kill and Prajapati ace for a 25-18 win.
 
In set two, Kerschner had five kills in six swings for an .833 percentage and Ramapo had a 12-9 edge in kills. Arslani (4) and Beaumont (3) combined for seven winners for the Knights. NJCU initially led, 4-1, before RCNJ uncorked a 9-2 run to claim a 10-6 lead after an ace by Hrehovcik and a combo block by Kane and Kerschner.  NJCU drew within 14-12 and were behind 18-14 after a Beaumont winner, but the Roadrunners scored the next four points on two Knight errors and kills from Hrehovcik and Kerschner, and two more shots by Kerschner sealed the nine-point, 25-16 decision.
 
Despite seven ties and three early lead changes in the third set, NJCU was outhit, 12-7 in the kills column, and held to a -.077 attack rate. Kerschner hit .429 with five kills (5-2-7) in the game. NJCU led, 9-6, before three straight RCNJ kills by Kane, Kerschner and Hrehovcik tied it at 9-9. A kill by Balint and a combo block by him and Sidnam put RCNJ in front to stay before Kane landed an ace on the back line for a 12-10 cushion. The lead stood at 15-13 when the turning point of the set occurred; Kerschner alertly served a ball after the whistle was blown but before the Knights were set, and that ace sparked a run of five straight points as Ramapo gained a 19-13 advantage. Sidnam was part of two double blocks during the run and Ramapo would again win by nine points, 25-16, as Kerschner landed kills for the final two points.
 
NJCU is back on the court on Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. as part of a Skyline Conference quad in Riverdale, NY. The Knights face SUNY Purchase first, followed by the host team, College of Mount Saint Vincent.  

 

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