New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

BROOKLYN, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Senior setter/opposite JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) registered the 19^th double-double of his career and New Jersey City University improved to 26-0 all-time against Polytechnic Institute of New York University as NJCU swept the Blue Jays, 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-13) in a Skyline Conference men's volleyball match on February 6.
 
NJCU (5-3, 2-1 Skyline) overcame sluggish offensive performances in the first two sets before cruising in the final game. NYU-Poly (2-6, 1-2 Skyline) was limited to a .051 attack percentage as a team. NJCU unleashed a combined 11 aces.
 
Beaumont, who netted his second double-double of his senior campaign, hit .348 with 12 kills and only four attack errors (23 attempts) while adding 12 assists.
 
Sophomore outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) had an all-around solid effort with eight kills (8-5-19, .158), eight digs, six service aces and two blocks while sophomore middle blocker IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) had five kills (5-2-11, .273) and five blocks, including two solo stuffs.
 
Also for the Gothic Knights, senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) delivered 18 assists and freshman middle blocker DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJ/Camden County Tech) hit .429 with four kills against   ne error (seven attempts), adding two blocks. Freshman outside hitter NICK POH (Richmond, VA)/Varina (VA)) served four aces and junior libero A.J. FLORES (Jersey City, NJ/County Prep) chipped in nine digs.
 
NYU-Poly freshman middle Eijaz Gilani (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) posted a .375 hitting percentage with eight kills (8-2-16) and junior outside Fild Kroqi (Bronx, NY) had a team-high nine kills and eight digs but had a .000 attack rate (9-9-29). Junior setter Rishi Sarkar (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) collected 19 assists and five digs.
 
While NJCU never trailed after the first three points of the first set, the Knights were unable to build a lead larger than five points. Back-to-back kills by Wilcox and Beaumont made it 14-9 and a Poh ace kept the margin at five, 18-13. NYU-Poly closed to within two points, 20-18, before an attack error by the hosts, followed by back-to-back aces by Arslani, pushed the advantage back to five. Two kills from Beaumont sealed the game, 25-20. Beaumont hit .375 in the set with five kills (5-2-8) while Wilcox (3-1-4, .500) and Prensa (3-1-6, .333) each had three winners. Gilani hit .600 with four kills for NYU-Poly (4-1-5). NJCU hit .179 as a team with 13 kills.
 
The second set was the most competitive, as the teams traded nine ties and three lead changes during the early and middle stages of the game, and the last tie stood at 15-15. NJCU scored six of the next seven points to claim a 21-16 advantage, and Prensa had a key kill and teamed with Arslani for a combo block during the run. Poly drew within three, 21-18, before the Knights ran off four of the final five points to claim the game, 25-19. A kill by Arslani extended the lead to 23-18 before he uncorked an ace to ice it. Arslani and Beaumont each had three kills for NJCU which tallied a 12-6 margin in winners during the game; Gilani hit .429 for the hosts with three kills in the set (3-0-9).
 
The third set was all NJCU. The Knights hit a stellar .438 in the period with nine kills (9-2-16), paced by Beaumont at an .800 clip (4-0-5) and Arslani with a .750 percentage (3-0-4). Kroqi totaled five of Poly's nine kills in the set. The Knights vaulted out to leads of 6-1 and 12-3 early on and held an 18-9 margin before cruising to a 12-point win, 25-13. Poh capped the match by acing the Blue Jays for the 22^nd, 23^rd and 25^th points after a triple block by freshman HAMZA ELSAMMAK (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) with Arslani and Prensa gave the Knights match point.
 
NJCU is back on the court on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. when it heads to Union, NJ for a Skyline Conference match against rival and #15 ranked Kean University at Harwood Arena.