JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team played an excellent match against the toughest team on their schedule this season, taking the No. 6 Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders to four sets, before falling 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-18) on February 25 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Coach Charlie Brown Court) 
 
The Gothic Knights (5-6) took the first set off the Raiders — just the sixth set Newark (12-0) had lost all season.
 
Junior captain Jonathan Andrews (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) had a stellar night, with a match-high 16 kills, six of which came in that impressive first set. He hit .344 (16-5-32).
 
Sophomore setter Leo Ferrari (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) paced the team with 26 assists, while senior opposite Julian Moreira (Miami, FL/Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Biscayne Bay Campus) led the way with five blocks. Freshman middle blocker Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) collected another four blocks, adding to his fast start in that statistical category (ranking second in the nation in blocks per set coming into the night).
 
The Knights were without a pair of key players: freshmen Martin Chromulak (Garfield, NJ/Garfield) and James Bajor (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne), who came into the match second and third, respectively, on the team in kills. 
 
For Newark, sophomore outside Arvind Kumar (Manahawkin, N.J.) had a strong performance, especially in the latter half of the match, collecting 16 kills in total, to tie Andrews for the match-high. Freshman setter Justin Tuohy (Old Bridge, N.J.) had an impressive 46 assists, while freshman right side Andrew Zaleck (Old Bridge, N.J.) had 11 kills despite having to leave the match with a hand injury. Sophomore middle Eric Hollenbach (Piscataway, N.J.) hit .800 with eight kills in 10 swings without an error.
 
The first set was a back-and-forth affair the entire time, with neither team getting out to more than a three-point lead at any point in the game. For NJCU, there were plenty of kills from Andrews, but the whole team played cohesively, collecting 12 kills to just four errors in the set. Fittingly, however, it was indeed an Andrews' kill that won the set for NJCU.
 
It was the first time Newark trailed in a match since they faced off with No. 12 Stevenson University back in early February.
 
The top-tier team showed what they were made of in the second set, but not before the Knights gave them a bit of a scare. Both teams looked a bit on edge to start the game, with the two teams trading four straight service errors to start the set. The two teams were tied at 7-7 before Newark went on the first real run for either team in the match, rattling off five straight. That was a lead they would not surrender, holding off a late push from NJCU to take the set, 25-19.
 
Service errors were once again the story early in the third set, but similar to the second, it was Newark who were able to settle in quicker. It got out to an early 9-6 lead, but the Knights rattled off four in a row after trailing 11-8, to take a brief 12-11 lead. The set stayed close, with a tie as late as 18-18, but the Raiders finished strong to put the pressure back on NJCU, after taking the third, 25-21.
 
In the fateful fourth, Newark overcame eight errors to win the set rather decisively, 25-18, and thus take the match.
 
OF NOTE:

• Series: Newark leads the all-time series, 7-0  (5-0 as a Division III program).
• Jonathan Andrews (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) reached double-digit kills for the seventh time in 2020, and the 15th time in his NJCU career.

 
UP NEXT:
 

• NJCU hits the road for a non-conference match on Thursday, February 27 to face off with The City College of New York (9-3).

 
GOTHIC KNIGHTS on SOCIAL MEDIA:
For the latest on NJCU men's volleyball and #NJCUMVB, follow the Gothic Knights on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and SnapChat. Preferred hashtags are #GothicGameDay and #GothicFamily.