BROOKLYN, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University lost to a nationally-ranked men's volleyball program for the second time in less than a week, dropping a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-15) outcome at No. 5 ranked New York University in a non-conference match on February 22 at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility.
 
NYU (9-3), ranked No. 5 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15 poll, won its fifth in a row. Even while resting some of its starters, the loaded Violets had a 37-20 margin in kills and hit .297 as a team. NJCU fell to 2-8.
 
Freshman setter Jimmy Vega (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) had 17 assists and two aces in the loss for NJCU. Freshman right side/middle hitter Julian Moreira (Miami, Fla./Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) added eight kills.
 
Adam Lee was the top contributor for NYU, landing a match-high 10 kills (10-4-22, .273) while Stephen Tan posted a .538 attack percentage with nine kills and three blocks. Four other players had either four or five kills, including setter Matin Bikdeli who collected 21 assists and had four kills in five swings (.600).
 
NYU had a 16-9 kills margin in game one, 11-5 in the second set and hit .300 with 10 kills in the third set when the Knights committed nine attack errors.
 
The opening set was the most competitive as NJCU never trailed by more than four and closed the deficit to 21-19 on a Moreira winner. A pair of NYU errors allowed the Knights to pull within one, 24-23, before Bikdeli clinched the game with a kill.
 
The second set was tied at 13-13 before a kill by Bikdeli and an ace by Andrew Zhu put the Violets in front to stay. After NJCU drew within one (16-15), NYU uncorked an 8-0 run to seize a 24-15 lead before prevailing by seven points. NJCU made five errors during that stretch while Bikdeli served a pair of aces. NYU jumped out to a 9-2 lead in game three and pulled away early.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series vs. NYU: Violets leads the all-time series, 7-1, and has won the last seven meetings.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
In the second of four matches this week in New York, the Knights are back in action on Thursday, February 23 at 7:30 p.m. against Pratt Institute (3-1) in Brooklyn, N.Y. NJCU won the only other meeting between the schools last year (April 7, 2016) in Jersey City, N.J., 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-22).