JERSEY CITY, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team split a Skyline Conference tri-match on February 28, sweeping Purchase College, 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-19) in under an hour, before falling to four-time defending league champion Kean University in a competitive contest 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 24-26, 25-18) at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).
 
With the split, NJCU is 10-11 on the season. The Gothic Knights reached double figures in victories for the 25th consecutive season dating to the program's third year in 1992.
 
Kean (15-5, 7-0 Skyline), which received eight points in this week's AVCA Division III Top 15 poll, upped its winning streak to 10 matches. Purchase dropped below .500 (7-9, 2-5 Skyline). In a neutral court conference match, Kean breezed past Purchase, 3-0 (25-15, 25-9, 25-17).

MATCH 1: New Jersey City University 3, Purchase College 0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-19)
In the opening match, NJCU stuffed 9.0 blocks and trailed just twice in the entire contest as it won its 10th match of the season.
 

NJCU's middle hitters were the story on a day where six different players had at least three kills. Freshman middle hitter Marquise Sanon (Newark, NJ/Shiloh (Snellville, GA)) stuffed five blocks (two solo) and hit .333 with six kills (6-1-15) while sophomore middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) had four blocks and four kills. Freshman setter Erick Nascimento (Miami, FL/Alonzo Tracy Mourning) dished 16 assists with three aces and had three kills in four dump tries (.750).
 
Senior right side/setter Kendall Tribbett (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) produced five assists, four block assists and two aces. In limited action, senior outside Daque Wilcox (Fredericksburg, VA/Camden County Tech, NJ) hit .333 in two games with four kills (4-1-9).  
 
Purchase was limited to a -.119 attack effort with 33 errors against 23 kills. Junior outside Riley Damerell (Rochester, NY) had 10 kills but 12 errors. Junior middle/setter Andrew Schwab (Merrick, NY) tallied 17 assists and six kills.
 
How It Happened in the First Match:
NJCU scored the first six points of the match and led 9-2. Purchase would draw closer (13-10, 14-11, 15-13) before tying it at 16-16 on an attack error. A Wilcox kill and PC error pushed the lead back to three (19-16). Wilcox destroyed a swing on the right side (20-17) and a block assist by Sanon and Tribbett (21-17) came next before an attack error made the lead five. Sorrell and Tribbett followed with a combo stuff and NJCU won the set, 25-18.
 
Tied 6-6 in game two, NJCU began pulling away. Two blocks by Sanon and his kill on an over ball combined with a block by Tribbett, followed by back to back aces by Nascimento made it 14-7. A smash by Sorrell and a kill from senior outside hitter Sheldon Coure (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) made it 20-11 before a Tribbett ace pushed the margin to 10. A solo stuff by Sorrell ended it 25-13.
 
In the third set the Knights vaulted ahead 14-5. Purchase drew as close as 21-18 after an NJCU out of rotation call. However, Sanon found the back corner (22-18) and a block by Sorrell and Tribbett gave the Knights match point before NJCU won 25-19.
 
MATCH 2: Kean University 3, Purchase College 0 (25-15, 25-9, 25-17)
Kean powered its way past Purchase in 42 minutes behind a .400 attack and an eye-opening 46-13 differential in kills. The Cougars committed just 14 errors in 80 attempts and forced Purchase into 17 attack errors (-.065). Kean had a 74 percent sideout rate in the win (32-43).
 
Freshman 6-foot-8 opposite Nicholas Buseski (Chicago, IL) outhit the Panthers on his own with 15 kills in 24 swings (four errors) and a .458 attack percentage. Six other KU players had at least four kills as sophomore setter Steve Schrank (Lindenhurst, NY) spread around 38 assists. He added four aces and six digs. Sophomore outside Connor Evans (Akron, OH) finished with eight kills. Freshman 6-foot-9 middle Chadd Jones (York, PA) hit .714 with five winners (5-0-7) and freshman middle Kamil Garbowski (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) hit .500 with five kills (5-1-8). Freshman outside Nico Mercadante (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) and freshman middle Maxim Kostin (Moscow, Russia/Fair Lawn) each hit .500 (4-1-6). The Cougars hit .310 with 16 kills in game one and pounded out a .579 percentage in the second set (13-2-19). Its 17 kills in game three accentuated the sweep. Purchase's top player was senior Matthew McCarthy (Fayetteville, NY) with a .273 percentage (five kills).
 
MATCH 3: Kean University 3, New Jersey City University 1 (25-21, 25-21, 24-26, 25-18)
Kean was challenged by NJCU in each of the first three games but used 10.5 blocks and 50 kills to outlast the Gothic Knights.
 
Sophomore outside Jacob Kauffman (York, PA) unleashed a match-high 19 kills (19-10-36, .250) and was the dominant factor in the fourth set when he put away eight kills in nine swings. He also landed four aces while sophomore opposite Bill Fischer (Berlin, NJ/Eastern Regional) added 10 kills (.200), six digs and two blocks. Senior middle Tommy Rosario (Belleville, NJ/Belleville) had eight kills, hit .333 (8-3-15) and contributed six blocks (five assisted).
 
Also for Kean, sophomore setter Kevin Barrow (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) delivered 26 assists with four blocks in three sets. Schrank had 14 assists playing just the fourth set and sophomore middle Shayron Taylor (Jersey City, NJ/Saint Peter's Prep) had four blocks and five kills in three games.
 
For NJCU, Coure had a team-high nine kills with five digs and three blocks and Sorrell had four blocks. Tribbett had eight kills Nascimento finished with 30 assists and six digs. Wilcox chipped in seven kills, five digs, two aces and senior middle Ivan Prensa (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) had six kills (6-3-10), hitting .300.

 

How It Happened in the Third Match:
Kean muscled its way to a 10-4 lead in game one. NJCU was able to battle back to within 19-15, thanks to a pair of blocks by Sorrell and a Coure block and ace. But Kean scored the next two and a block by Barrow and Taylor pushed it to 22-15. Back-to-back aces by Wilcox and a Coure roll winner staved off three set points (24-20) and Kean had an over ball sail out before Kauffman found the line with a game-clinching kill. Kean hit .381 in the opening game.
 
In game two, a close contest was separated when Kauffman, who earlier in the set had several kills, powered his way to back-to-back aces and an off-balance attack error made it 16-9. Kauffman had five kills (.500, 5-1-8) and four aces in the set. A triple block and a kill by Taylor off a fantastic set extended it to 18-9. Taylor crushed another attack in the middle (19-11). Down 21-11, the Knights battled back within 21-16 behind the serve of Prensa and a Tribbett kill. A dig by Nascimento that landed for a kill and an attack error cut it to 22-18. After a timeout, Tribbett trickled an ace off the tape. But a roll shot error gave Kean 23. The Knights got as close as 23-20 before Barrow had a dump for set point and Kauffman had a kill on the outside to seal it.
 
In the third set there were nine ties and five lead changes. NJCU moved in front, 11-10 before Kean reeled off the next four points, aided by a pair of blocks by Rosario. A back set kill by Prensa and a Kean error tied it at 18-18. Kean went back up 20-18. An attack error and a block by Barrow and Rosario made it 22-19. Down 24-20, a Coure roll shot (24-21) kept NJCU alive as the Knights would stave off four match points. When Kean was wide on back-to-back attacks, the Knights closed within one, 24-23. Coure and Sorrell evened it with a block, Kean had another attack sail wide and a net violation on Kean's Taylor allowed NJCU to take the set, 26-24.
 
After extending the match, NJCU gained a 6-5 lead in the fourth set and trailed by one, 11-10. But a Fischer kill and an NJCU attack error pushed the deficit to three (13-10). A block by Connor Evans and Rosario made it a four-point lead. With Kean leading 16-13 the Cougars scored the next five points—two on kills by Kauffman and a Rosario ace—to seize a 21-13, and the Knights weren't able to rally as it had in the previous sets.
 
#KnightNotes

• Series vs. Purchase: NJCU leads, 14-0 (10 sweeps).
• Series vs. Kean: Cougars leads, 12-0.

 
#NextKnightTime:
On Wednesday, March 2, the Gothic Knights head north to New Paltz, NY to tangle with No. 2 ranked SUNY New Paltz, the 2015 NCAA Division III national semifinalist. The Hawks (14-2, won 12) will play only their second home match of the season. NP will be the seventh nationally-ranked team NJCU has played this year. New Paltz leads the all-time series, 21-2, and has won the last 16 meetings. Last year the clubs met in Jersey City on March 24, 2015 when NP was ranked No. 3 in the country and the Hawks won, 3-0 (27-25, 25-18, 25-14).