JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team had a 2-1 lead against the College of Mount Saint Vincent but couldn't hold on, and later suffered a three-set loss to Ramapo as the Gothic Knights fell out of first place in the Skyline Conference with a pair of losses in a league tri-match hosted by NJCU on February 20 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
NJCU (7-6, 3-2 Skyline) fell to Mount Saint Vincent in five sets, 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 17-25, 27-25, 15-12) before being swept by Ramapo, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-16). Ramapo, which also breezed past Mount Saint Vincent in the middle match, 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-17), won both matches it played to claim first place at 5-0 Skyline (6-7 overall). The split day gives CMSV a 3-10 ledger but 2-2 in the league.
 
MATCH 1: College of Mount Saint Vincent 3, New Jersey City University 2 (25-21, 24-26, 17-25, 27-25, 15-12)
In the 50th meeting between the programs, NJCU led 2-1 before CMSV survived 15 ties to win the fourth set and held off the Gothic Knights in five. Statistically, NJCU was the better team in the match with more kills (56-53), less attack errors (26-20) and more than double the blocks (11.0 to 5.0) while hitting at a much higher percentage (.295 vs. .203) but the Knights could not find a way to pull out the 1:46 long match.
 
The loss wasted a brilliant performance from sophomore middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) who hit .500 with 12 kills (12-3-18) and seven blocks, including three solo rejections.
 
CMSV received a match-high 17 kills from sophomore middle blocker Neven Skoblar (San Pedro, CA). He hit .159 (17-10-44) but tallied five blocks and four aces.
 
Sorrell was one of three Gothic Knights to finish with a dozen kills. Senior outside hitter Sheldon Coure (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) planted 12 kills, hit .391 (12-3-23) and contributed nine digs and three blocks while senior outside Daque Wilcox (Fredericksburg, VA/Camden County Tech, NJ) added 12 kills at a .333 clip (12-2-30) with nine digs and two aces.
 
Also for NJCU in the first five-set match of the season, senior right side/setter Kendall Tribbett (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) finished with nine kills (9-5-20, .200) and three blocks and senior middle Ivan Prensa (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) collected eight kills (.222, 8-4-18), three blocks and three aces. Freshman setter Erick Nascimento (Miami, FL/Alonzo Tracy Mourning) produced 40 assists, nine digs and two blocks.
 
The Dolphins also received 40 assists, an .857 attack percentage with six kills (6-0-7), two aces and two blocks from sophomore setter Logan Dickover (Las Vegas, NV). Freshman outside Jordan Steiger (Lindenhurst, NY) had a double-double of 13 digs and 12 kills at a .333 rate (12-4-24) and junior opposite Tyler Cucullu (Henderson, NV) finished with 14 kills (.273) and eight digs.
 
How It Happened:
The visitors took game one, jumping out to an early yet narrow lead that would hold up in a competitive opener. NJCU drew within two (22-20) on a solo block by Sorrell before a cross court shot by Cucullu and a kill on two by Dickover put CMSV up four and it won 25-21. The Dolphins hit .333 in the opening game led by Cucullu who hit .625 with five kills in eight swings (no errors). Four other players had two kills each for CMSV.
 
In game two, there were 12 ties but NJCU never trailed. Tied 20-20, a Dolphin service error and a Coure smash made it 22-20. An NJCU attack error and an ace by Skoblar tied it 22-22. But Sorrell posted a solo stuff in the middle (23-22) and a combo block by Sorrell and Nascimento made it 24-22 before a kill by Steiger made it 24-23 and a setting miscommunication tied it (24-24). Coure gave NJCU back the lead with a kill off the block and Wilcox put a swing away on the outside on the second set point. Coure had five kills (.333, 5-2-9) and Wilcox hit .667 (4-0-6) in the game to offset Skoblar hitting .625 with five winners.
 
Down in set three, the Knights used a 7-0 run to pull away. NJCU tied it on a block by Tribbett and Prensa and moved ahead when Wilcox tucked a kill inside the sideline. Kills by Prensa and Coure extended it to 16-12 and another Prensa kill made it 17-12 before the hosts ultimately led 19-12. Coure stuck a kill off the block for a 24-16 lead before NJCU clinched the 2-1 lead on a punishing kill by Sorrell. NJCU hit .375 in the game (9-3-16) and limited Mount to a -.115 attack. Coure had three kills in as many swings.

 

A 14-9 lead for Mount was countered by the serving of Prensa who handcuffed the Dolphins. NJCU tied it on a kill by Coure. (15-15) and the game would become a see-saw battle with 15 ties and six lead changes. Each time one team took a one-point lead, the other would answer. NJCU had match point when Prensa put away a kill then aced Mount off the tape. But a service error evened it at 25-25, a block by Skoblar and sophomore outside Sean O'Connor (Rockaway Beach, NY) put CMSV back in front and a roll shot by Skoblar on set point forced a fifth set. Sorrell hit .800 in the set with four kills (4-0-5) but Skoblar had six kills for the guests.
 
In set five, there were seven ties and two lead changes but NJCU had four service errors before the teams changed sides. Tied at 10-10 after a thunderous kill by Tribbett, Skoblar snuck a kill thru a block (11-10) and a combo block by Skoblar and O'Connor made it 12-10 before a service error gave NJCU the sideout. This time NJCU could not tie it. Another kill by Skoblar added to the lead (13-11). A Steiger kill gave CMSV match point. NJCU staved off the first match point but on its second chance CMSV won it when Steiger snuck a cross court kill for a 15-12 outcome. Mount hit .533 in the final game with no attack errors (8-0-15). Clutch late for CMSV, Steiger had four kills in four swings in the penultimate period.
 
MATCH 2: Ramapo College 3, College of Mount Saint Vincent 0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-17) | Box Score
After playing a long opening contest the Dolphins couldn't match up with Ramapo and fell to the Roadrunners in an hour. Ramapo hit .369 as a team with 33 kills and only nine attack errors (33-9-65). Mount was forced into 26 attack errors and hit -.070.
 
Ramapo was led by junior outside Connor Brandow (Manorville, NY) with a .500 attack percentage, nine kills (9-1-16), three blocks and three aces and freshman outside Jordan Elam (Bayonne, NJ) finished with a .500 rate on eight kills (8-2-12). Junior middle blocker Nick Amos (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) rejected eight blocks (seven assisted) and hit .500 with five winners (5-0-10). Freshman setter Mikhael Erushalimski (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) delivered 28 assists in 49 attempts (.571). Freshman outside Paul Close (Sayville, NY) chipped in six kills (.273) and four blocks.
 
CMSV's top performers were Cucullu with seven kills (.000) and six digs and Dickover collected 18 assists. Ramapo hit .714 in the opening set with 10 kills in 14 swings.
 
MATCH 3: Ramapo College 3, New Jersey City University 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-16)
Ramapo sophomore outside Justin Feigeles (Bellmore, NY) hit .409 with a match-best 13 kills to pace the Roadrunners in the sweep. Ramapo hit .386 as a team (38-11-70) while the Gothic Knights had 11 fewer kills. Ramapo had a 70 percent sideout rate (41-58); NJCU was just 53 percent (39-73).
 
Feigeles had an attack line of 13-4-22 and Erushalimski quarterbacked the club with 28 assists in 53 chances for a .528 accuracy rate. He added eight digs. Amos hit .714 with five kills in seven attempts. Close and sophomore outside Patrick Wixted (Ronkonkoma, NY) each finished with seven kills.
 
In defeat for NJCU, Wilcox had eight kills and Sorrell collected five kills, two blocks and hit .300 (5-2-10).

 

How It Happened:
In game one, NJCU led 9-7 before errors allowed Ramapo to score the next four points (11-9, RCNJ). Ramapo upped the lead to 14-10 and maintained a 17-13 advantage after two more Gothic Knight attack errors. Close had a back row kill to push the lead to five but NJCU rallied and a back row smash by Coure and a ball handling error cut it to two (18-16). But a service error followed by an overball that was hammered by Feigeles provided separation. He pounded another set on the outside to make it 22-18. Ramapo won the game by five, hitting .308 in the opener (12-4-26) with a 71 percent sideout rate behind five kills from Feigeles and RCNJ only committed two service errors in the set.
 
Set two saw Ramapo score the first four points and never trailed. RCNJ pushed the lead to 8-3. NJCU changed its offensive scheme from there to increase its blocking but Ramapo kept attacking at a high percentage. A backrow blast by Close doubled up the lead (12-6). Back-to-back kills by Wilcox and another by freshman middle hitter Marquise Sanon (Newark, NJ/Shiloh (Snellville, GA)) drew NJCU within 14-10 but that was as close as the Knights would get. RCNJ began to pull away. A kill by Amos on an overball and a Close cross court swing made it 24-16. A triple block by Sorrell, Tribbett and Wilcox and a Coure ace followed by a Wilcox kill made it 24-20, before Amos clinched the set on a one-ball attack.
 
Ramapo had a 16-9 advantage in kills in game two and hit .480 with 16 kills (16-4-25). Feigeles did much of the damage, hitting .556 with six kills (6-1-9). NJCU hit .316 in the loss (9-3-19) behind Sorrell who had a .750 percentage (3-0-4).
 
In the final set, RCNJ began to pull away (13-8) after back-to-back aces by Erushalimski before NJCU answered with kills by Coure and Wilcox to draw within 13-10 and another Wilcox winner made it 14-11. But an ace by Close and a combo block by Erushalimski and Elam boosted the margin to 18-12. NJCU was unable to rally any further. RCNJ hit .368 in the game.
 
#KnightNotes

• 50th meeting vs. Mount Saint Vincent. NJCU leads, 28-22
• 63rd meeting vs, Ramapo. RCNJ leads, 51-11, since 2006 and has won the last 22 meetings.
• Sheldon Coure reached double figures in kills for the 20th time in three years and third time in 2016.
• Jalen Sorrell reached double figures in kills for the first time this season and fourth time in his two-year career. The 12 kills were one shy of a single-match high (13, vs. Sage, 4 sets, Feb. 28, 2015). It was the third time he's had at least seven blocks in a match (high, 11).
• Daque Wilcox reached double figures in kills for the 14th time in his career and fourth time this season.

 
#NextKnightTime:
NJCU will play a pair of neutral court matches tomorrow (Sunday, February 21) when it faces Lehman College (11 a.m.) and The Sage Colleges (2 p.m.) at Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, NY. The Sage contest will be a Skyline Conference match.
 
NJCU and Lehman will meet for the 39th time; NJCU leads the all-time series, 25-13, and has won 20 of the last 21 meetings. The Knights won last year (March 17, 2015) in Bronx, NY, 3-2, winning the final set 15-8.
 
It will be the 10th meeting between the Knights and the Gators. NJCU swept the 2015 season series from Sage, twice winning by a 3-1 outcome, and leads the all-time series, 5-4.