PURCHASE, N.Y. — The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team picked up its fifth Skyline Conference victory of the season tonight, Thursday, March 23. The Gothic Knights bested Purchase College on the road in straight sets (25-11, 25-19, 25-14) for the second consecutive match.
Jersey City (15-8, 5-3 Skyline) was led once again by junior tri-captain opposite
James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne), who led all players with a match-best 11 kills and just one error on 16 swings (.625 hitting percentage). Fellow junior captain middle blocker
Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) was right behind him with nine kills and one blemish on 12 swings (.667) to go with a match-high-tying three total blocks. Rounding out the offensive trio was freshman outside hitter
Anthony Trivers (Washington Township, N.J./Washington Township). In the rookie's second-career start, he notched eight kills and just one error on 12 swings (.583) to go with six digs and a match-best-tying three blocks — his kill and block totals were career marks.
In the first set, NJCU found itself up 5-4 against the Panthers (3-13, 2-6 Skyline) before going on an 11-2 run to make it 16-6. Trivers recorded four kills and a block during that stretch. Then, leading by nine at 19-10, the Gothic Knights closed out the set with a 6-1 run, which was capped off by an ace from sophomore
Leandro Perez (Elizabeth, N.J./Kearny). The second set was a much closer one as Jersey City never quite pulled away. However, five kills from DaSilva alone in this game, as well as a couple of blocks from junior opposite
Chris Castillo (North Bergen, N.J./High Tech), made the difference in the 25-19 win.
Finally, in the third set, the hometown Panthers held a slim 3-2 lead before the Green and Gold went on a 13-4 run to take the 15-7 advantage. Many Gothic Knights got into the action during this one before again going on a 6-1 run after leading 15-10 to make it a 10-poin, 21-11 lead. To end it, Castillo notched a kill, followed two points later by an ace from sophomore
Kenneth Gil (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and then sophomore outside hitter
Mahmoud Serour (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) clinched it with a kill.
Highlights:
- As a team, NJCU hit .500, notching 38 kills and just seven errors on 62 swings. The squad limited Purchase to a .077 swinging percentage.
- In addition to the aforementioned trio, Serour also had five kills and a couple of aces.
- Senior setter
Aaron Mantilla (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) led all players with a match-best 24 assists to go with a couple of blocks and an ace.
- Castillo also tied the match-high blocks mark with three, adding three digs, three kills and an ace.
- Junior libero
Nico Figueroa (Jersey City, N.J./County Prep) recorded a match-best seven digs.
Up Next:
Sitting in fourth place in the Skyline standings at the moment, NJCU returns to action for a home conference tri-match on Saturday, March 26, at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). Jersey City hosts St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn for the first time this season — they have won all five matchups in program history against the Bears, dating back to 2016 — at 10:00 a.m. that day, followed at 2:00 p.m. by their second and final meeting of the regular-season with Purchase. The Panthers and St. Joe's-Brooklyn will square off at 12:00 p.m., as well.
