JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University men's volleyball team (6-10) was surprised by visiting Maranatha Baptist University (3-19), 3-1 as the Sabercats rallied to prevail 24-26, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 on March 22 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court).  
 
The Sabercats, in their first season of varsity competition, snapped a 15-match skid, largely against fierce Midwestern opposition in the first contest of a five-match East Coast road trip.
 
NJCU committed 34 attack errors in the match and hit .077 (45-34-143), impacted by 10.0 MBU blocks. The Sabercats hit .241 and had only 18 attack errors on 50 kills (133 attempts).
 
Each team had three players with 10 or more kills. For NJCU, freshman right side Alexander Umanzor (West New York, NJ/Memorial) had another high percentage, hitting .474 with 11 kills (11-2-19) and two blocks while sophomore outside hitter J.J. Berdecia (West New York, NJ/Memorial) finished with a double-double of 12 digs, 10 kills and two aces. Sophomore middle hitter Julian Moreira (Miami, FL/Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) landed 10 kills and had three blocks.
 
Maranatha senior middle blocker Devon Steuerwald (Newberry Springs, Calif.) hit a stellar .632 to pace the visitors, landing 13 kills in 19 attempts (one errors) with a pair of blocks. Junior outside Derek Wallis (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) collected a match-high 14 kills (.244, 14-3-45) and added 11 digs with two blocks.
 
Senior setter Tim Kile (New Bloomfield, Pa.) dished 39 assists and had seven digs. Junior middle Andrew Carpenter (Eagan, Minn.) produced 11 kills (11-5-27, .222) and seven assisted blocks.
 
Other contributors for MBU were sophomore libero Joel Depue (Pottstown, Pa.) with a match-high 15 digs and senior middle Luke Hassenplug (Troy, Ill.) adding six kills and four blocks.
 
For NJCU, freshman middle Dave Etienne (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson) hit .368 with nine kills (9-2-19). Sophomore setter Jimmy Vega (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) dished 23 assists and nine digs and freshman setter Luis Ayala (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) added 18 assists and seven digs. Junior libero David Penaherrera (Harrison, NJ/Harrison) provided 12 digs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In an opening set with 11 ties, including 20-20, the Knights fell behind 22-21 before scoring three straight points on a kill and ace by Moreira and a Wallis error, for a 24-22 lead. A tip kill by Wallis tied it at 24-24 before NJCU sided out after a service error and prevailed 26-24 on a kill by Berdecia.
 
MBU tied it at 1-1 in a second set marred by Gothic Knight attack errors; the Sabercats had just two errors in 28 swings; NJCU had 11 errors. Maranatha never trailed in the third set to seize a 2-1 advantage but NJCU made it interesting late. Trailing 18-12, four straight points, including a pair of kills by Umanzor trimmed it to 18-16 and NJCU tied it at 20-20 when Etienne and Berdecia put away kills and MBU swung long. But Steuerwald and Hassenplug had kills off the block and a kill by Steuerwald and a combo block by Carpenter and Hassenplug allowed MBU to seal it. The Sabercats won the set on a setter free ball that fell in.
 
In a fourth set with eight ties, NJCU led early before Maranatha tied it at 15-15 on a kill by Steuerwald and two attack errors by NJCU gave the guests the lead for good. A kill by Hassenplug and his block with Carpenter helped extend the margin to 21-17. Steuerwald's final kill sealed the win.
 
NOTABLES:

• Series: First meeting.
• Winning set two, Maranatha snapped a 46-set losing streak dating to a 3-0 win over Concordia (Wis.) on February 2.
• Maranatha Baptist is one of two first-year varsity programs NJCU is facing this year (St. Elizabeth).
• Maranatha Baptist is a Division III program in Watertown, Wisconsin. It is a member of the Association of Division III Independents and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Maranatha is playing five schools on its trip to the East Coast; in addition to NJCU, the Sabercats visit Widener tomorrow for a tri-match with Messiah and on Saturday play a tri-match at Lancaster Bible with Cairn.

 
UP NEXT:
NJCU heads to Mahwah, N.J. for a challenging tri-match with Ramapo College and No. 10 ranked New York University on Saturday, March 24, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
 
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