New Jersey City University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 RIVERDALE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore middle hitter DAQUE WILCOX (Camden, NJ/Camden County Tech) rang up a career-high 16 kills as New Jersey City University posted a 3-1 win over Purchase College, 22-25, 25-13, 25-16, 29-27 in the opener of a Skyline Conference Quad on March 29 hosted by Mount Saint Vincent. In the second match, NJCU received a double-double effort of 45 assists and a career-high 14 digs from senior setter and captain GARY PRESTON, JR. (North East MD/Rising Sun (MD), but the Gothic Knights, leading 2-1, couldn't close out the contest and the host Dolphins scored the final 10 points of the fifth set to prevail, 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 18-25, 28-26, 15-5).
 
NJCU is 10-14 overall and 6-4 in the Skyline—tied for third with MSV (12-9, 6-4 Skyline) with four regular season league matches remaining. Both teams are one game ahead of Sage (5-5 Skyline) in the race for the four-team conference tournament; NJCU and MSV also played a five-set contest on March 1 in the first meeting in Riverdale, NY with the Knights prevailing, 3-2.
 
Preston had a combined 83 assists in nine sets (9.22 per set). Wilcox had 24 kills in the two matches while freshman middle hitter SHELDON COURE (Torrance, CA/Redondo Union (CA)) had 21 winners and sophomore outside hitter BILL LE (Jersey City, NJ/Snyder) collected 20 kills while hitting at a .378 percentage on the day (20-6-37).
  In the opening match, NJCU dropped the first set, dominated the two middle games and hung on late in the fourth set to prevent the contest from extending. Wilcox hit .414 with 16 kills (16-4-29), six digs and a solo block to help pace the Knights to a solid .316 team attack percentage (51-15-114). Purchase fell to 5-10 (2-7 Skyline) with the loss.
 
Preston paced NJCU with 38 assists, seven digs and three aces and three Gothic Knights added eight kills apiece. Coure posted a .545 percentage with eight winners (8-2-11) while Le and sophomore  opposite KENDALL TRIBBETT (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) produced identical offensive efforts of eight kills with two errors in 17 swings for .353 attack rates.
 
Also for NJCU, sophomore outside hitter ANGEL MARTINEZ (Pleasantville, NJ/Pleasantville) hit .455 with six kills (6-1-11) and freshman defensive specialist DESMOND LEIGH (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) had nine digs.
 
The Panthers received a match-high 20 kills from Kevon Kareem Bruce, who hit .368 (20-6-38) and nine digs and Kevin Carges collected a double-double of 12 kills 912-6-43, .14) and 10 digs. In a two-setter system, Andrew Schwab had 25 assists, nine digs and hit .500 with four kills (4-0-8). Riley Damarell added 15 assists, nine digs and four kills.
 
The Panthers surprised NJCU in the opening game, uncorking 15 kills (15-7-37) while NJCU put away just seven. NJCU trailed by as many as six points before batting back to force a 22-22 tie in the opener before Purchase scored the final three points, including a kill and ace by Carges.
 
NJCU never trailed in the second or third sets. In game two, NJCU produced an incredible .600 attack percentage with 17 kills (17-2-25) while limiting PC to seven winners. NJCU hit .280 with 10 winners in the third set (10-3-25) while the Panthers hit just .077. NJCU opened a 13-4 margin in game two before cruising to a 12-point win. A 6-0 run in the middle of the third set gave the Knights a commanding 18-7 lead it would use to breeze to a 2-1 match lead.
 
Game four went into extra points with NJCU landing 17 kills and hitting .344 (17-6-32). PC had three less kills but hit .414 (14-2-29). There were six ties and four lead changes and the Knights found themselves down 24-20 after a double block. But NJCU managed to fight off four set points—with three kills by Wilcox including two straight after a Purchase timeout—tying it at 24-24. Martinez gave NJCU a 25-24 lead with its fifth straight point. A pair of winners by Carges allowed the Panthers to regain a 27-26 advantage before NJCU closed the match with three consecutive kills—one by Coure to tie it, a Martinez shot to give the Knights match point, and an unassisted ball from Coure that clinched a 29-27 win. In a match that may have major conference tournament implications next month, NJCU led 2-1 and had match point in game four before the Dolphins held on in extra points, 28-26, and dominated the end of game five.
 
In defeat, Preston delivered 45 assists and 14 digs for his second career double-double and led an offense that placed three players in double figures in kills.
 
Coure had another outstanding effort with 13 kills (13-5-30), a .267 percentage and six blocks, including three solo rejections. Le hit better than .300 for the fourth time in five matches, slamming 12 kills at a .400 rate (12-4-20) with six digs and two blocks. Martinez put away 11 kills (11-5-22, .273) with six digs. Sophomore libero JON DIAZ (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) delivered 16 digs. Wilcox finished with eight kills and two blocks.
 
MSV received a match-high 23 kills and a .400 attack percentage (23-5-45) from Jacob Johnson who added seven digs, two aces and two blocks while Tyler Cucullu tallied 13 kills, five digs and three blocks.
 
Also for the Dolphins, setter James DiGiovanni collected 41 assists and two blocks. Brett Holiday had seven assisted blocks while Timothy Kolodny chipped in 11 digs, six kills and three blocks.
 
In the opening set, NJCU led 20-15 before MSV tied it with five straight points—three off Gothic Knight attack errors. But NJCU bounced back with kills by Le and Preston and a Tribbett ace for a 24-20 lead before a winner from Le capped a 25-21 win.
 
The second set was a big comeback tease for NJCU which forced 11 ties with the Dolphins, yet never could grab a lead. MSV hit .387 in the set with 15 kills (15-3-31) after NJCU had a 14-10 margin in kills in game one. After the see-saw early portion of the set, the last tie came at 13-13. MSV scored the next three, and NJCU didn't get closer than 18-17 the rest of the set as the hosts scored the next four points and won by five.
 
NJCU gained a 2-1 lead in set three, hitting .304 with 12 kills (12-5-23) while limiting MSV to six kills. NJCU scored seven of the final 10 points of the game.
 
The fourth set was a good offensive battle with MSV owning a 16-13 edge in winners and hitting .323. In another back-and-forth set there were 13 ties and eight lead changes. Ahead by one, 19-18, the Dolphins scored the next four points for a 23-18 cushion. NJCU battled back, scoring seven of the next eight points—surviving two set points to claim a 25-24 edge after back-to-back winners from Martinez. Johnson responded with consecutive kills for a 26-25 lead. NJCU tied it at 26-26 before Cucullu floored a kill and Johnson served an ace for a 28-26 result and a forced fifth set.
 
In the final period, MSV limited NJCU to a -.308 attack percentage—one kill and five errors on 13 attempts. Tied at 5-5, the Dolphins scored the final 10 points with Johnson serving most of the points, for a 15-5 win.
 
NJCU will play its final home match of the 2014 season on Wednesday, April 2 when it hosts The Sage Colleges in a 7 p.m. Skyline match at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. Prior to the match, NJCU will honor its lone senior, Gary Preston, Jr.

NOTES:

NJCU leads all-time series vs. Purchase, 10-0 (8 sweeps). NJCU leads all-time series vs. Mount Saint Vincent (27-20). MSV snapped NJCU's 7-match winning streak in the series. In the win over Purchase, NJCU hit better than .300 as a team for the third time this season. DAQUE WILCOX' previous career high was 15 kills in five sets vs. Lasell on March 7. DAQUE WILCOX had his eighth career double-digit kill effort (sixth of season) against Purchase. Gary Preston's 14 digs were a season high, and his second double-digit dig effort of the year and of his three-year career. BILL LE reached double digits in kills for the fourth time in his career (third of season) and he was one kill shy of equaling a career high. ANGEL MARTINEZ reached double figures in kills for the third time this season (10 at Mount Saint Vincent, March 1; 12 vs. Lasell, March 7) and in his career. JON DIAZ's 16 digs gives him double figures in digs for the sixth time this season and ninth time in his career.