JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team hosted the first of its two home tri-matches this afternoon, Sunday, Feb. 20, at the John J. Moore Athletic Center (JMAC). The Gothic Knights came out with two victories after defeating the Brooklyn College Bulldogs (25-15, 25-13, 26-24, 25-9) and the Kean University Cougars (25-14, 25-21, 25- 19). In the first match of the day, the squad was led by sophomore outside hitter Mahmoud Serour (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and senior setters Aaron Mantilla (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and Leo Ferrari (Kearny, N.J./Kearny). Serour had a match-best 13 kills, Mantilla's team-high-tying 19 assists and Ferrari career-high five aces (also 19 assists). In the second victory, senior outside hitter Jonathan Andrews (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and junior tri-captain opposite James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led the team with the team-highs of nine kills each. Ferrari was dishing all day, as he finished the second match with 22 assists.
Match #1: NJCU 3, Brooklyn 1 (25-15, 25-13, 26-24, 25-9)
In the first clash of the tri-match, the Gothic Knights (6-4) went up against the Bulldogs (3-6) and came out hot. To begin the first set, the Green and Gold got on the board first after a kill from the reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Defensive Player of the Week, middle blocker Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, N.J./Kearny). Following the smash from the junior tri-captain came Serour with a kill of his own; which would be first of many for the outside throughout the match. With an ace from Ferrari, the squad jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.The Bulldogs didn't have an answer for the Gothic Knights throughout the match, pulling away by as much as 11 points (21-10) after a kill from junior opposite Chris Castillo (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech). To end the set, NJCU found more success above the net, with back-to-back kills by Serour, finishing the first 25-15.
The squad continued its blazing start in the second set, going up 3-0 to get the matchup going. This time, Castillo got things going early, starting with a kill and a block to take the early lead. Again, Serour was on the attack, finishing with another slam to extend the lead for the Gothic Knights. Castillo wasn't done, as he got back-to-back kills, giving NJCU a five-point lead. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to only three in the middle of the battle, trying to tie things up against Jersey City. But Jersey City went on a 5-0 run, led by Mantilla's three aces during that stretch. A 3-0 run by the Bulldogs cut the deficit to only 14-9. Again, NJCU went on a run. This time, the squad went on its biggest run of the match (seven points). Castillo heated up again, with back-to-back kills and two kills by Serour to push the lead to 21-9. Freshman outside hitter Ryan Lin (Union, N.J./Union) came in with two kills and helped capture the second set victory, 25-13.
NJCU was right on the brink of finishing things off, but Brooklyn didn't go down without a fight. Competing with only seven players, the Bulldogs showed their perseverance and toughness, taking the third set by a thrilling score of 26-24.Trailing 22-20, Brooklyn went on a 4-0 run to push NJCU to the final point. A kill by sophomore opposite Kenneth Gil (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) gave the Green and Gold a chance, but BC ran away with the set, capturing a kill from Darren Roach.
The message Coach Carlo Edra gave to hist squad before the fourth set fired the Gothic Knights up, as they came out looking to end things early. The squad did just that, starting out with an 8-0 lead to begin the set. Ferrari and Serour were the stories in this run, with Ferrari capturing four of his five aces of the day and Serour notching two more kills, finishing with a match-high 13 kills. The Bulldogs again fought back, slashing the NJCU lead to four points. Again, Jersey City came alive with another run (6-0), to take a 10-point lead. Freshman middle blocker Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria), bringing energy on the court throughout the set, got his first kill of the match to start the run. The squad ended in dominant fashion, with a 9-2 run. Serour closed the doors on the Bulldogs, finishing with three kills in this run, completing the set 25-9, and the match 3-1.
Match #2: NJCU 3, Kean 1 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19)
To end the afternoon, the Gothic Knights took on Kean in a battle that did not disappoint the friendly confines of the JMAC. To start, NJCU again made the first run, beginning the set 3-0. Action got started with a kill from Ferrari and following that, Bajor joined in and captured a kill for himself. Kean battled back-and-forth with the Gothic Knights, ultimately tying the set at 8-8. But, the leadership of the champions prevailed, as the squad went on a 12-3 run to go ahead 20-11 — led by DaSilva and fellow junior tri-captain Hanel Collado (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen). The outside hitter had three kills on the large run, while DaSilva not only had three blocks, two kills and one ace, but brought the momentum inside JMAC that pushed the Green and Gold to victory. Ending the set again were kills by DaSilva and Andrews.
The squad brought the momentum from the victory in the first set to the second. NJCU, the story of the afternoon, again started off with the lead, but this time they Gothic Knights jumped out to a 5-0 advantage. Similar to the first set, the second started with a Ferrari point, but this time an ace. Ferrari wasn't done, as he set up his partner in crime Andrews with a kill and captured another ace in the stretch. NJCU capitalized on the hitting errors from Kean and Andrews' hot hand by taking another 4-0 run, stretching the lead to its largest of the set (six points). The Cougars came back strong and loud, with a run of their own, trailing by three-points, forcing a timeout for the squad. Coach Edra again knew the exact words to say to his team. Out of the timeout, Andrews took control of the game, scoring four straight points for the Gothic Knights with two aces, a kill and a block. The Gothic Knights did not let up, finishing with a 25-21 victory in the second set. Who finished the set? You guessed it — Andrews.
Trying to end things early, this third set started much differently than the rest of the NJCU sets today. The squad and the Cougars were all tied up at five, after two kills from Bajor and an incredible dig by senior libero Daniel Esteva (Union, N.J./Union). As the teams continued to go back and forth, the squad was able to gain three point lead (11-8) and force a timeout thanks to a kill from Andrews and a block from DaSilva. After a 3-0 run, tying the match up at 11, the Cougars looked to get themselves back into the match and make a larger run in the third. NJCU halted these hopes, going on a 9-4 run and jumping out to a 20-15 lead. Bajor and Andrews were the leaders in this run, capturing two kills a piece off of set pieces from Ferrari. When the squad received the ball back, the Green and Gold immediately went back to work with an ace from sophomore defensive specialist Leandro Perez (Elizabeth, N.J./Kearny) and kills from Ferrari and DaSilva. Ending the afternoon was a Cougar hitting-error, concluding the set 25-19 and sweeping the match 25-14, 25-21, 25-19.
After never defeating the Cougars in program history prior to their Feb. 10 win, the Gothic Knights have now take two straight off Kean, also for the first time ever.
Up Next:
Coming up next for the NJCU men's volleyball team will be a road trip to Pennsylvania, beginning with a 7:00 p.m. non-conference match at Wilkes University on Friday, Feb. 25, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 26, the Gothic Knights compete in a tri-match against Alvernia University and host Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., respectively.
