New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 3 JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University split its action in the first Skyline Conference two-court quad of the 2014 season on February 16, falling in a tight match to Ramapo College, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) before finally winning its first match of the season with a 3-1 decision against NYU-Poly (25-11, 25-19, 20-25, 25-11).
 
In the other two matches, NYU-Poly swept Yeshiva University, 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-14) before Ramapo blanked YU, 3-0 (25-20, 25-7, 25-11). All four matches were hosted by NJCU at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
 
NJCU improved to 1-8 (1-2 Skyline) with the split while Ramapo improved to 8-3 (3-0 Skyline). NYU-Poly, in its final year of competition, is 1-6 (1-2 Skyline) while Yeshiva dropped to 0-4 (0-3 Skyline).
  Against Ramapo, sophomore middle hitter DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJ/Camden County Tech) slammed a match-high eight kills and sophomore opposite KENDALL TRIBBETT (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) added nine digs, seven kills and two blocks with a .222 attack percentage (7-3-18).
 
Senior setter GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD)) tallied 26 assists and six digs and sophomore libero JON DIAZ (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had a season-high 12 digs.
 
Ramapo had 15 players see the court and nine recorded multiple kills. Ryan Casci hit .308 with six kills and Mike Kane planted three kills in three swings while stuffing three blocks (two solo). Chris Sidnam was accurate at a .800 rate, flooring four kills in five swings. Evan Carey had five kills in one set. Alec Weissman finished with 22 assists in two sets while Andrew Balint provided 10 more.
 
In the first set, NJCU never led, but trailing 21-17, pulled within two on consecutive kills by Wilcox and Coure. But a Ramapo block and an ace by Sidnam made it 24-19 and Kane clinched the set with a winner. Ramapo hit .375 as a team in the opening period.
 
In game two, NJCU led, 20-19 before a service error and back-to-back failed attacks allowed RCNJ to gain a 22-20 advantage. NJCU drew within 22-21 before a kill by Connor Brandow and a setting error pushed the edge to 24-21 and RCNJ went up 2-0 on a double block.
 
The final set featured eight ties and four lead changes, but NJCU hit -.029 in the period and 10 attack errors hurt the Knights' hopes of extending the match. Still, trailing 20-17 late, the Knights made a game of it, scoring six of the next nine eight points to claim a 23-22 cushion after an ace by Wilcox. But Casci tied it with a kill and NJCU committed a pair of attack errors to account for the final two points. Against NYU-Poly, the Gothic Knights remained undefeated in 28 all-time meetings with the Blue Jays, as the Knights slammed 50 total kills and hit .298 as a team (50-19-104).
 
In its first win of the year, junior outside hitter BILL LE (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder) posted a career-high 13 kills with a .500 hitting percentage (13-2-22), five digs and three aces. In only his second career double-digit kills effort, he exceeded his previous high by one winner.
 
Wilcox crushed 11 kills and hit .348 (11-3-23) with three aces and three blocks and freshman middle hitter SHELDON COURE (Torrance, CA/Redondo Union (CA)) put away 11 kills while hitting .412 (11-4-17) with three blocks.
 
On his birthday, Preston delivered 41 assists with five digs. Also, sophomore outside RAYMEL CASTRO (Newark, NJ/Barringer) had a career-high eight kills. Tribbett collected six kills and two blocks and Diaz defended eight digs.
 
"It's nice to get that goose egg out of the wins column," said first-year head coach Robert Cole, who collected his first collegiate victory after taking over the program in November. "It's even nicer to have played up to our potential in the first and fourth sets. Hopefully this gives us the confidence we need as we head toward the heart of our schedule."
 
NYU-Poly was paced by the play of Fild Kroqi who registered a match-high 23 kills and hit .326 (24-10-43) with five digs and two aces. He accounted for 24 of the Blue Jays' 35 total kills. Rishi Sarkar gave out 32 assists.
 
NJCU had double digits in kills in each set and started off strong with a colossal .476 attack rate (12-2-21). Leading by three, 12-9, after five early ties in game one, NJCU ran off the next four points to extend the lead to 16-9 and ahead 19-11, tallied the final six points of the set to win easily. In all, NJCU uncorked a 13-2 run to seal the game.
 
In game two, NJCU planted 14 kills but NYU-Poly had a better hitting percentage and that allowed the guests to remain close early on at 15-13. But a 5-1 run pushed the margin to 20-14 and NJCU won by that six-point differential.
 
NYU-Poly posted a .455 attack percentage in set three, planting 13 kills in 22 swings (three errors) to get back in the match. The Blue Jays opened a 19-12 lead in the middle of the game and had seven set points, leading 24-16. NJCU fought off four attempts to end the game, closing within 24-20, before Kroqi landed a kill—his eighth of the set—to force a fourth game.
 
But NJCU dominated the fourth set, using an 11-5 edge in kills and a .360 team attack percentage (11-2-25) to cruise to a 12-point decision. Leading 8-5, a 7-0 outburst behind the serving of Le, pushed the lead to 15-5. Le landed three consecutive aces at the end of the run.
 
NJCU is back in action on Saturday, February 22 in a makeup of a January 26 cancellation, when it faces Lehman College in a non-conference doubleheader at the JMAC. Match times are 1 and 3 p.m. for the two home court contests.