WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Sophomore middle blocker Julian Moreira (Miami, FL/Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) had a combined 26 kills in two matches as the  New Jersey City University men's volleyball team split a non-conference tri-match on February 25 hosted by Wilkes University. NJCU rallied from 2-1 behind to edge host Wilkes in the opening match, 3-2 (17-25,26-24,20-25,25-14,15-13) before falling to Keuka College in a neutral match, 3-1 (25-21,25-19,17-25,25-22) at the Marts Center. With the split, NJCU is 5-6 on the season.  
 
MATCH 1: New Jersey City 3, Wilkes 2 (17-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-14, 15-13)
Each team had 47 kills and 8.0 blocks in a match that went the distance. But NJCU's hitting percentage steadily increased in all five games and three players defended double figures in digs as the Gothic Knights evened their record at 5-5 with the come-from-behind win. Wilkes fell to 5-13 after the loss.
 
After falling behind 2-1 after three sets, NJCU led wire-to-wire in the fourth game. The Knights had 10 kills and forced the Colonels into 10 attack errors to force a fifth game. The Knights scored five straight points to claim a 12-6 lead in set four and five more in a row for an 18-11 advantage. A solo block by Moreira and back-to-back aces by sophomore outside J.J. Berdecia (West New York, NJ/Memorial) made it a 23-13 lead, leading to the final set.
 
The fifth set was a nail-biter, featuring seven ties and two lead changes. Three kills by senior Daniel Sales (Laflin, Pa.) gave the Colonels three two-point leads at 8-6, 10-8 and 11-9. A solo block by Moreira and a kill by freshman right side Joseph Stawicki (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) tied it at 11-11. Freshman outside Andrew Potter (Nazareth, Pa.) put Wilkes back up by one before the hosts committed two straight errors. A kill by junior middle Jones Mensah (Philadelphia, Pa.) tied it at 13-13.
 
With the match on the line, freshman middle Dave Etienne (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) put away a swing for match point and Wilkes committed an attack error as the Knights prevailed, 15-13. It was NJCU's first 3-2 road victory since a five-set win at Lehman on March 17, 2015.
 
Moreira put away 12 kills, rejected six blocks, including four solo stuffs, and served three aces. Etienne led NJCU with 13 kills and a .208 attack percentage (13-8-24) while sophomore setter Jimmy Vega (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) dished 26 assists with eight digs.
 
Also for NJCU, Berdecia and sophomore outside Edgar Crespo (Newark, NJ/Science Park) each defended a match-high 14 digs. Berdecia added nine kills and two aces. Stawicki also finished with nine kills. Junior libero David Penaherrera (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) contributed 12 digs. Freshman setter Luis Ayala (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) collected 13 assists, nine digs and two aces.
 
For Wilkes, senior middle hitter Brian Schumacher (Fleetwood, Pa.) put away a match-high 15 kills and hit .250 (15-6-36). But he had only two kills in the fourth set and none in the fifth set as the Gothic Knights neutralized him late in the match.
 
Also for the hosts, Sales had a near triple-double with 24 assists, 10 digs and nine kills. Mensah finished with eight kills, sophomore setter Salvatore Purpura (Plains, Pa.) finished with 20 assists and senior defensive specialist Dylan Smith added 10 digs.

 
MATCH 2: Keuka 3, New Jersey City 1 (25-21, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22)
Keuka had a 60-41 margin in kills and hit .322 as a team in an offensive slugfest that the Wolves (3-8) won, 3-1. Keuka had 16 kills in all three sets it won. Its best effort was game two when it hit .565 with 16 winners in 23 swings (three errors).
 
Three players hit double figures in kills for Keuka, led by senior outside Connor Gail (Euclid, Ohio) with 18 and a .324 attack percentage (18-6-37). Senior setter Chris Corcoran (Big Flats, N.Y.) dished 39 assists and had a .667 attack percentage with seven kills in nine attempts (one error).
 
Moreira was NJCU's top performer and had a sizzling .478 attack percentage with 14 kills (14-3-23). Ayala (20 assists) and Vega (19 assists) evenly distributed the NJCU offense. The Knights had double figures in kills in the final three sets, with a high of 14 in game three when it hit .440 (14-3-25) and had an 82 percent sideout rate. Also for NJCU, Crespo had 10 digs and eight kills Etienne finished with a .400 attack with six kills (6-2-10) and three blocks.
 
Other leaders for Keuka included freshman middle Gavin Record (Clifton Springs, N.Y.) with 12 kills, hitting .318 (12-5-22) and sophomore outside JP Nery (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) finished with 10 kills. Junior middle Christian Nickerson (Horseheads, N.Y.) posted a .412 attack with nine kills in 17 attempts (two errors)
 
NJCU led game one, 13-12, before five straight points gave Keuka a 17-13 lead and it prevailed by that four-point margin. It was a one-point margin (18-17) in set two before kills by Corcoran and Gail and an ace by Corcoran gave the Wolves separation.
 
NJCU jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the third set, opened the margin to 15-7, and cruised to the 25-17 win to extend the match. NJCU seized a 15-11 lead in the fourth set as it tried to force a fifth set again. A 5-0 run by the Wolves—three straight kills by Corcoran, Nickerson and Gail, and consecutive aces by junior outside Pat Dillon (Oswego, N.Y.), gave Keuka a 16-15 lead. NJCU responded and regained a 20-18 when Moreira floored an attempt. Kills by Stawicki and Moreira broke ties at 20-20 and 21-21 and gave the Knights a 22-21 lead. But Keuka would score the final four points. After a service error tied it, Corcoran and Nickerson combined for a block, and each followed with a kill as Keuka hung on, 25-22.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series vs. Wilkes: NJCU leads, 2-0. Both matches have resulted in 3-2 outcomes.
• Series vs. Keuka: Keuka leads, 3-0, winning the last two meetings by 3-1 results.
• NJCU's win over Wilkes was its first 3-2 road victory since a five-set win at Lehman on March 17, 2015.
• Julian Moreira (Miami, FL/Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) has reached double figures in kills 19 and 20 times in 39 matches in his NJCU career.
• Dave Etienne (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) reached double figures in kills for the third time this year; the 13 kills are a career high (previous: 11 vs. Bard on February 15).

 
UP NEXT:
In its final match prior to a two-week hiatus for spring break, NJCU visits Brooklyn College on Thursday, March 1 (7 p.m.) in Brooklyn, N.Y. It will be the 25th meeting in a series NJCU has dominated all-time, 24-0.
 
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