RIVERDALE, NY (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team got back to .500 on the season, sweeping St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn), 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-22) before avenging an earlier loss this season to the College of Mount Saint Vincent by powering past the host team in four sets, 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19) in a Skyline Conference tri-match on March 5.
 
NJCU upped its mark to 12-12 and 6-4 in the league. After falling 3-2 to Mount Saint Vincent on February 20, the Knights hit .377 and smashed 59 kills in the convincing rematch that dropped the Dolphins to 6-4 in the league (8-12). St. Joseph's fell to 2-9 (1-7 Skyline) after the opening match loss.
 

MATCH 1: New Jersey City University 3, St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-22)
In the opening match, NJCU had a 32-13 advantage in kills and limited the Bears to a -.167 attack percentage in the sweep. SJCBK committed 22 attack errors.
 
Freshman setter Erick Nascimento (Miami, FL/Alonzo Tracy Mourning) delivered 24 assists to an offense that saw six different players record between four and six kills apiece. Sophomore middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) led the way with a .500 attack percentage and six kills (6-1-10) and two aces. Senior outside hitter Sheldon Coure (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union) hit .300 with five kills (5-2-10). Senior outside hitter Raymel Castro (Newark, NJ/Barringer) finished with five kills and five digs.
 
NJCU vaulted in front to leads of 10-3 and 15-5 in the opening set when it hit .529 as a team (11-2-17) with an 81 percent sideout rate. The Knights did not trail in the second or third sets. NJCU has 12 kills and a 77 percent sideout ratio in the second set.
 
MATCH 2: New Jersey City University 3, College of Mount Saint Vincent 1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19)
Nascimento delivered a career-high 48 assists and four different Gothic Knights put away double figures in kills as NJCU secured a key win in the race for a home match in the Skyline Conference Tournament. NJCU hit .377 overall (59-16-114).
 
Senior middle Ivan Prensa (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) enjoyed the best match of his career, slugging a .542 attack percentage with 15 kills and only two errors in 24 attacks, while rejecting six blocks (two solo).
 
Senior outside Daque Wilcox (Fredericksburg, VA/Camden County Tech, NJ) pounded another 14 kills and hit .423 (14-3-26) and defended 13 digs for his third career double-double—all this season. He added three block assists and two aces.
 
Also for NJCU, Coure had 12 kills and hit .333 (12-3-27) with nine digs while Sorrell planted 10 kills and hit .316 (10-4-19). Nascimento added four kills in six attempts as a setter (.667) and senior right side/setter Kendall Tribbett (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) chipped in three blocks.
 
The Dolphins received a match-best 19 kills from junior opposite Tyler Cucullu (Henderson, NV), who hit .325 (19-6-40) with six digs and five aces. Sophomore middle blocker Neven Skoblar (San Pedro, CA) had nine kills and six digs while Owen Smith hit .636 with seven kills in 11 swings (7-0-11). Sophomore setter Logan Dickover (Las Vegas, NV) contributed 42 assists and seven digs.
 
NJCU got better as the match went along, hitting .250 in game one (13-6-28), .310 in game two (13-4-29) and .520 in the third set (15-2-25). NJCU put away a staggering 18 kills in the fourth set, hitting .438 (18-4-32).
 
In the opening set the clubs were tied 8-8 before CMSV gained a three-point lead after back-to-back kills by Owen Smith. NJCU got as close as 14-13 before the Dolphins scored the next four points and won the game by that margin.

 

NJCU evened it in the second game. The Knights led 20-18 before the Dolphins evened it at 20-20. But NJCU would score the final five points to square up the match. After a CMSV attack error, Wilcox put away a winner and Prensa smashed back-to-back kills to clinch the game.
 
In the third set, NJCU led 11-6 early on before the Dolphins slowly rallied, tying it at 18-18 and 19-19. After CMSV took a one-point lead, Prensa put away an attack for another tie. A combo block by Prensa and Wilcox followed by a Coure kill made it 22-20. CMSV drew within one (22-21) but Prensa had a solo block on Skoblar and Coure sealed the game with a winner.
 
NJCU never trailed in game four, jumping out to a 6-1 advantage and the hosts never drew closer than two the remainder of the game.
 
#KnightNotes

• Series vs. St. Joseph's Brooklyn: NJCU leads series, 2-0 (two sweeps).
• Series vs. Mount Saint Vincent: 51st meeting. NJCU leads all-time series, 29-22.
• Ivan Prensa reached double figures in kills for the first time in his career. His previous high was nine, twice this season (2/14/2016 at St. Joseph's Brooklyn; 2/21/2016 vs. Sage), once as a sophomore (2/23/2013, Gallaudet) and once as a freshman (4/1/2012 vs. Sage).
• Sheldon Coure reached double figures in kills for the 23rd time in three years and sixth time in 2016.
• Jalen Sorrell reached double figures in kills for the third time this season and sixth time in his two-year career.
• Daque Wilcox reached double figures in kills for the 16th time in his career and sixth time this season. Wilcox registered his third career double-double (2/13/2016 at Hunter; 2/27/2016 vs. Keuka).

 
#NextKnightTime:
After six days off, NJCU heads to Providence, Rhode Island to compete in the Johnson & Wales University Invitational. In the four-match event, the Knights face Lesley University and York College (NY) on Friday, March 11 at 6 and 8 p.m. On Saturday, March 12, NJCU meets Emmanuel College (12 p.m.) and host Johnson & Wales (2 p.m.).