NEW YORK, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) |  The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team played host and No. 14 ranked Hunter College tight but couldn't match that intensity in a neutral court loss to No. 1 ranked Springfield College as the Gothic Knights suffered a pair of 3-0 losses on February 13. Hunter edged NJCU, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) before the Knights fell to Springfield, 3-0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-9).
 
NJCU saw its overall record drop to 5-4 with the two losses. All four losses this year have come against nationally-ranked opponents—#3 Rutgers-Newark, then #14 Wentworth, #14 Hunter and #1 Springfield.
 
MATCH 1: #14 Hunter 3, New Jersey City University 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21)
Senior outside Daque Wilcox (Fredericksburg, VA/Camden County Tech, NJ) reached double figures in kills for the 13th time in his career and the third time this season and NJCU outplayed Hunter (8-2) offensively in a match that saw a combined 27 ties and nine lead changes in its three games.
 
Wilcox registered his first career double-double as he hit .321 with 13 kills (13-4-28) and defended a match-high 12 digs—his third career effort of double figure digs. Senior right side/setter Kendall Tribbett (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) contributed 14 assists, seven kills and two blocks.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) hit .364 with six kills (6-2-11) and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Sheldon Coure (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) totaled seven kills and eight digs. Freshman setter Erick Nascimento (Miami, FL/Alonzo Tracy Mourning) distributed 19 assists. Freshman middle hitter Marquise Sanon (Newark, NJ/Shiloh (Snellville, GA)) stuffed four blocks including three solo rejections.
 

Hunter's Benjamin Crusinberry matched Wilcox with 13 kills (13-3-30, .333) and Steven Tarquinio chipped in eight kills, a .357 percentage (8-3-14) and three blocks. Blake Hogan also had eight kills (8-3-27) and nine digs and setter Nicolas Sanchez handed out 22 assists.
 
NJCU had a 37-35 margin in kills and a slight edge in blocking (7.5 to 7.0). But Hunter had a better sideout percentage (65 percent to 56 percent).
 
In a first set with nine ties and five lead changes, NJCU held a 21-19 cushion after a Wilcox winner. The Hawks responded with kills by Hogan and Crusinberry to tie it and another putaway by Crusinberry made it 23-21. A kill by Wilcox made it a one-point game before Hunter took game one off of kills by Hogan and Tarquinio.
 
In the second set, NJCU tied it at 20-20 and 21-21 on kills by Wilcox and Tribbett before two errors gave the Hawks back a 23-21 lead. Coure put a shot away but back-to-back errors sealed the game for Hunter.
 
There were eight ties in game three but NJCU could never pull in front. Hunter had a 22-18 lead late in game three before NJCU roared back. A triple block by Tribbett, Sanon and Wilcox and a solo stuff by Sanon helped cut it to one (22-21). But after a timeout, Crusinberry had a winner and combined with Daniel Dobrogowski on a block en route to a 25-21 win.
 
MATCH 2: #1 Springfield 3, New Jersey City University 0 (25-11, 25-8, 25-9)
NJCU couldn't match the experience of the Pride in the second match as the nine-time national champions hit .415 as a team with 30 kills (30-8-53). The Knights hit -.174 in the match (11-19-46) and never led.
 
Springfield had 16 different players see time on the court. Greg Woods hit a sizzling .714 with six kills in seven swings (one error) and Trevor Mattson had a .556 attack rate with six kills (6-1-9). Luis Garcia Rubio finished with 10 assists. The Pride hit .444 in game one (12-4-18), .450 in game two (11-2-20) and .333 in the third set (7-2-15).
 
Sorrell was NJCU's leader with four kills. Tribbett had nine assists and a solo block and Sanon contributed two blocks.
 
Springfield had an 86 percent sideout rate for the match (26-30) and chalked up a perfect 100 percent sideout percentage in sets two (8-8) and three (10-10). NJCU was 24-of-72 (.333) in sideout percentage.
 
#KnightNotes

• 29th meeting against Hunter. The Hawks leads the all-time series, 17-12.
• First-ever meeting with Springfield. The Pride have won nine national championships—the first three NCAA Division III titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and six Molten Division III crowns (1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010) prior to the official NCAA Tournament.