JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Rutgers-Newark hit .329 and posted a 40-12 advantage in kills in a 3-0 sweep of the New Jersey City University men's volleyball team in a non-conference match on February 22 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court). R-N prevailed by set scores of 25-19, 25-11, 25-11.
 
Rutgers-Newark (12-1) demonstrated why it has just one loss on the season while extending its streak to 25 consecutive sets won. It had an attack line of 40-12-85 and after 16 kills in game one, hit .417 with 14 kills in the second set. The Scarlet Raiders hit .360 in game three with just one attack error.
 
After a strong opening set, the Gothic Knights couldn't get the offense going in the final two games. NJCU fell to 4-5 on the season. It had 12 kills in the match but 24 attack errors (76 attacks) for a -.158 percentage. NJCU hit -.400 in game two with one kills and -.206 in game three (4-11-34).
 
In defeat, junior libero David Penaherrera (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) had 12 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Julian Moreira (Miami, FL/Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) was one of four Gothic Knights with two or more blocks, finishing with three.
 
Four players carried most of the R-N attack, combining for 30 kills. Senior middle hitter Jalen Sorrell (Edison, N.J.), who starred at NJCU in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, hit .417 with seven kills (7-2-12) and three blocks (two solo). Senior middle Dom Gutowski (Old Bridge, N.J.) added a .600 attack rate with seven kills in 10 swings (one error).
 
Senior outside hitter Justin Sandy (Aberdeen, N.J.) added eight kills (8-2-21, .286) and senior right side Corey Pieper (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with eight kills (.263, 8-3-19). In split action at setter, junior Arnan Romua (Bayonne, N.J.) and freshman Travis Emenaker (Newton, Mass.) had 19 and 11 assists, respectively.
 
NJCU's best chance came in game one when the teams traded three ties and the Knights stayed close, trailing by one, 16-15. But a R-N kill and two NJCU attack errors spread the deficit to four and a kill by Pieper followed by a Pieper/Sorrell block made it a 21-16 lead for the Raiders who prevailed by six, 25-19. R-N jumped out to a 17-7 lead in game two using several scoring runs to grab a comfortable lead and cruised in the final set to sweep the match.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: Sixth meeting. Rutgers-Newark leads all-time, 6-0, and is 4-0 in the series as a Division III team (previously RU-Newark played Division I in men's volleyball).
• The match was the fourth of a four-match homestand. NJCU won't be home again until March 20 when it plays three consecutive home matches in as many days.

 
UP NEXT:
NJCU plays its second tri-match of the season on Sunday, February 25 when it heads to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. At 11 a.m. NJCU meets host Wilkes University before meeting Keuka College at 1 p.m. in a neutral-court contest. NJCU defeated Wilkes, 3-2, in the first meeting between the schools on March 27, 2017 in Jersey City. Keuka is 2-0 all-time against NJCU, including a 3-1 win on February 27, 2016 in Jersey City.
 
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