JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team made quick work of the College of Staten Island, 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-7) and got off to a red-hot blocking start against Keuka College before falling in a competitive four sets, 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-22). Both non-conference matches were played on February 27 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
With the split, NJCU is 9-10 on the season. Keuka (9-5) also swept Staten Island (4-9) in a neutral court match, 3-0 (25-9, 25-20, 25-13).
 Sophomore middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) was overpowering for NJCU in the opening match. Senior outside Daque Wilcox (Fredericksburg, VA/Camden County Tech, NJ) hammered a career-high 19 kills in the loss to Keuka and finished with a double-double for the second time this season. Senior middle Ivan Prensa (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) had eight blocks in the Keuka loss and was a big part of NJCU's unprecedented 8.5 blocks in the first set of that match.
 
MATCH 1: New Jersey City University 3, College of Staten Island 0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-7)
In the opening match, NJCU hit .309 as a team, led by Sorrell who swung at a sensational .889 percentage with eight kills in nine attempts while stuffing five blocks in just two sets of action.
 
Sorrell helped spark an NJCU blocking scheme that limited Staten Island (4-8) to a -.122 attack with 24 errors against 14 kills. NJCU had a nearly 3-to-1 differential in kills, outswinging CSI, 38-14. CSI failed to reach positive territory in any of the three sets.
 
Freshman middle hitter Marquise Sanon (Newark, NJ/Shiloh (Snellville, GA)) played two sets and hit .714 with five kills (5-0-7).  Senior right side/setter Kendall Tribbett (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) delivered 20 assists, five aces and three blocks.
 
Also for NJCU, Wilcox notched eight kills, hit .375 (8-2-16) and had six digs while senior outside hitter Sheldon Coure (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) had a career-high 13 digs while notching seven kills (7-3-16, .250) and two blocks. Freshman setter Erick Nascimento (Miami, FL/Alonzo Tracy Mourning) tallied 16 assists and eight digs while Prensa chipped in five kills and two aces.
 
CSI's top performer was sophomore middle Danil Kukovitskiy (Brooklyn, NY) with five kills and five digs. Sophomore setter Brandon Lei (Staten Island, NY) had 14 assists and two aces.
 How It Happened in the First Match:
NJCU had a decisive 15-3 margin in kills in game one and hit .312 (15-5-32) with a 78 percent sideout rate, led by Sorrell with six kills in seven swings and four blocks. Leading 14-10, NJCU scored the next five points, paced by three blocks by Sorrell with Coure contributing to two of them. NJCU extended the run to 8-1 before clinching on the fifth block of the set.
 
NJCU had a 12-7 edge in kills in a more competitive second set and the Dolphins closed with one, 17-16, on an ace. The Knights scored the next four points to pull away.
 
The Knights hit a colossal .474 in the final set with 11 kills in 19 swings (two errors) and NJCU put the game away early as four servers for the Knights—Nascimento, Prensa, Tribbett and freshman defensive specialist Eduardo Vargas (Jersey City, NJ/Ferris)—enjoyed lengthy serving streaks. Tribbett served nine consecutive times and had three aces during the tear. NJCU jumped out to a commanding 20-5 advantage and was never challenged.
 MATCH 2: Keuka College 3, College of Staten Island 0 (25-9, 25-20, 25-13) | Box Score
Keuka (8-5) crushed 40 kills and limited Staten Island to just eight in a match that lasted less than an hour. The Wolfpack served 19 aces.
 
Sophomore outside Aaron Brill (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) had more kills than the entire opposing team, hitting .400 with nine kills (9-3-15), seven aces and three blocks. Senior outside Connor Hinman (Lethbridge, Alberta) hit .625 with six kills (6-1-8) in just one set. Junior outside Spencer Avery (Hamburg, NY) dished 14 assists and landed five aces and sophomore middle Alex Riley (Fairport, NY) tallied three aces and two blocks. Sophomore setter Chris Corcoran (Big Flats, NY) added 19 assists. Senior middle Manny Colon (Rochester, NY), junior outside Jared Kucko (Horseheads, NY) and sophomore right side Tim Jackson (Farmington, NY) combined for 16 kills
 

MATCH 3: Keuka College 3, New Jersey City University 1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-22)
NJCU had what appears to be a single-set record 8.5 blocks in game one where the clubs traded seven ties and five lead changes but couldn't take advantage of back-and-forth action in the third and fourth games and dropped the decision.
 
Both teams displayed signs of electric offense combined with brilliant blocking. NJCU had a 45-42 kill advantage and an 11.5 to 10.0 margin in blocks.
 
Wilcox amassed 19 kills on 47 swings—18 more than any other NJCU player—hit .191 and defended 10 digs with five blocks. Prensa had seven of his eight assisted blocks in game one and added six kills while Coure slammed 12 kills and added nine digs, three aces and two blocks. Nascimento handed out 39 assists and six digs. Freshman libero David Penaherrera (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) defended 11 digs. Tribbett tallied four blocks and eight digs.
 
The Wolfpack were led by Hinman with 15 kills, six digs and three blocks while sophomore Connor Gail (Euclid, Ohio) added 10 kills. Corcoran and Avery delivered 23 and 17 assists, respectively while Brill finished with five digs, four aces and three aces. Senior middle Josh Makin (Lethbridge, Alberta) finished with five blocks while senior middle Tom Campbell (Penfield, NY) had four blocks (two solo).
 
How It Happened in the Third Match:
NJCU stuffed an incredible four blocks in a row to open the match—three straight by a combo of Prensa and Wilcox against the opposite and then Prensa and Tribbett on the outside, got the Knights in front, 4-0. After a timeout, a fifth straight stuff, by Prensa and Wilcox made it 5-0. Keuka used its serving to get back in the game. Back-to-back aces by Brill tied it at 8-8 and a third straight ace put Keuka in front. The teams continued trading points.
 
Prensa and Wilcox teamed for their fifth combo block of the set to tie it. A Keuka error and Wilcox tip kill made it 14-12 and a roll kill by Wilcox 15-12. A Tribbett solo block made it 16-12 and Wilcox put away a ball for a 17-12 edge. Another ace by Brill allowed Keuka to pull within 22-18 and the Wolfpack staved off four set points with two kills and an NJCU attack error to draw within 24-23 before Wilcox slammed a kill off the block for a 25-23 win.
 
In game two, NJCU jumped out early after Prensa destroyed an attack. But two attack errors in the middle of the set allowed Keuka to take a 14-10 lead before a blocking error extended it to 15-10 and the Wolfpack cruised to the 10-point win.
 
In game three, a block by Brill and Campbell allowed Keuka to gain a 12-10 lead and Campbell crushed a middle attack (13-10) before a solo stuff by Sorrell made it a one-point deficit, 14-13. A kill and ace by Coure gave NJCU a one-point lead (16-15). After ties at 17-17 and 18-18 a kill by Hinman put the Wolfpack in front. After NJCU closed within one (21-20), kills by Campbell and Brill and a combo block by those two made it a 24-21 cushion. NJCU staved off two set points before a blocking error ended the game, 25-23.

 
In the fourth set, errors found NJCU behind 9-3 and 17-11 before storming back to tie it at 17-17 behind Wilcox. He had eight kills in the set including three in a row and four in a span of six points when it was again even at 18-18. Keuka went back on top 20-18 before a kill by Prensa and block assists by Prensa and Coure tied it for a third time, 21-21. But after a timeout, Gail split the block with a swing and an NJCU attack error gave Keuka a 23-21 lead. Gail again split the block for match points and two points later al Campbell kill in the middle sealed it.
 
#KnightNotes

• Series vs. Staten Island: NJCU leads, 2-0
• Series vs. Keuka: Keuka leads, 2-0
• Sheldon Coure reached double figures in digs for the second time in his career and this season (10 vs. Regis, February 6).
• Sheldon Coure reached double figures in kills for the 22nd time in three years and fifth time in 2016.
• Daque Wilcox reached double figures in kills for the 15th time in his career and fifth time this season. His previous career high for kills was 16 in four sets against Purchase College (neutral) on March 29, 2014. Wilcox registered his second career double-double (2/13/2016 at Hunter).

 
#NextKnightTime:
In matches four and five of a five-match homestand, NJCU will host a Skyline Conference tri-match on Sunday, February 28 beginning at 10 a.m. against Purchase College (7-7, 2-3 Skyline) and four-time defending league champion Kean University (13-5, 5-0 Skyline). Kean received eight points in this week's AVCA Division III Top 15 poll, equivalent to a No. 19 national listing. NJCU leads the all-time series with Purchase, 13-0 (nine sweeps). Kean is 11-0 all-time against the Gothic Knights.