New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score BOX SCORE

JAMAICA, QUEENS, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University sophomore outside hitter BESMIR ARSLANI (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) reached the 20-kill plateau for the sixth time in his career, planting 23 winners, including an incredible 10 kills without an error on 14 attempts in the opening set (.714), and after faltering in the third and fourth sets, the Gothic Knights held off a challenge from Lasell College to win in five games, 3-2 (27-25, 25-17, 20-25, 16-25, 15-12), in the opening match of the York College Tournament on Friday night (March 8).
 
NJCU (12-7) won its third straight match in the first of four contests at the tournament while facing the Lasers (7-7) for just the second time in their histories. NJCU scored the final three points of the match after the clubs were tied at 12-12.
 
Arslani had 10 kills in the first set, but just two in the second and third, before slamming six more in the fourth game and three in the final period. He hit .340 with only seven errors on 47 attempts, while adding a double-double of 11 digs and five assists. He posted the 31^st double digit kill effort of his career in 44 career matches (.705) and the seventh time in 13 matches this season while posting a match-high in kills for the 25^th time in his career. Arslani also registered his seventh career double-double and first this year while also flooring 20 kills for the first time as a sophomore.
 
The Knights made a notable lineup change and the decision paid off. Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)), the reigning Skyline Conference Player of the Week, switched to libero, and senior outside hitter JUSTIN BEAUMONT (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), moved back full-time to the setting position; both players played major roles in the win.
 
Beaumont delivered a season-high 43 assists for a .402 percentage (107 attempts), stuffed a career-high six blocks and landed five kills (5-1-16, .250) and Preston had nine digs. Freshman opposite KENDALL TRIBBETT (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) landed seven kills (7-3-20, .200) and added eight digs while freshman middle blocker DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJ/Camden County Tech) provided six kills and rejected five blocks, including a pair of solo putbacks.
 
Also for NJCU, sophomore middle blocker IVAN PRENSA (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) chipped in seven kills (7-4-17, .176), three blocks and two aces and freshman outside hitter NICK POH (Richmond, VA/Varina (VA)) totaled six kills and six digs.
 
For the Lasers, senior outside hitter Alex Mill (Danville, NH) led the club with 15 kills (15-8-33, .212) and eight digs while sophomore outside Dan Raffol (Natick, MA) also reached double figures with 11 kills (11-4-30, .233). Senior libero Chris Burns (Chelmsford, MA) had 16 digs.

Lasell, which had 15 players see action, received 30 assists from sophomore setter Matt Dugan (New Lenox, IL) and 16 from freshman setter Ryan Jackson (Massillon, OH).
 
In an opening set that went to extra points, there were 12 ties and four lead changes. NJCU hit .382 as a team with 18 kills (13 for Lasell), led by Arslani's single-set scintillating effort. Mill had five kills for the Lasers. NJCU trailed, 22-19 before running off three in a row off of two Lasell errors and an Arslani kill. After an NJCU error, Beaumont had a kill, and then teamed with Wilcox for a combo block and a 24-23 lead. A kill by Raffol tied it and the teams traded another tie at 25-25 before Arslani floored back-to-back kills to win the set, 27-25.
 
Tribbett was a perfect 3-for-3 on attack in set two and Prensa hit .500 with three putaways (3-0-6), as the Knights posted a .348 percentage with 10 kills versus two errors and the Lasers hit -.037 (9-10-27). After the Lasers aimed within one point, 15-14, NJCU scored three in a row and four of the next five to claim a 19-15 lead on a pair of Tribbett kills and a Prensa/Beaumont block. In all, NJCU finished the set by scoring 10 of the final 13 points. Prensa unleashed two service aces sandwiched around a block by Wilcox/Beaumont block for a 2-0 lead in the match and a 25-17 result.
 
NJCU lost momentum during an odd sequence early in the third set as a section of an overhead basketball backboard fell on the court and caused a delay with the Knights ahead, 3-1. Lasell would rally to tie at 4-4 and the clubs traded 10 ties and five lead changes in the game. NJCU hit -.067 in the set (8-10-30) while Lasell answered with a .200 percentage (10-5-25). Tied at 18-18, the Lasers reeled off the next four points to claim a 22-18 lead and Lasell won the game by five, 25-20.
 
Lasell never trailed in the fourth as four players had at least three kills and six had two or more. The Lasers forced a fifth set by hitting .467 in the period with 18 kills versus four errors (30 attempts).  Arslani slugged six of NJCU's 11 kills and hit .333 in the game (6-2-12). Lasell opened up leads of 20-12 and 23-14 before winning by nine points, 25-16.
 
In the decisive fifth game, Lasell had a slim 8-7 edge in kills, but Arslani hit .333 (3-1-6) and Wilcox had two kills (2-0-5, .400) and a solo stuff. NJCU had a 10-8 lead before a kill by Mill and an attack error by NJCU saw a 10-10 deadlock. Prensa and Mill traded kills and the sixth tie of the set ensued at 11-11. Wilcox made it 12-11 with a winner before Lasell followed suit. But NJCU would score the final three points—a kill by Arslani, a Mill attack error, and a Tribbett kill to seal it, and hung on for the five-set decision, 15-12.