JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The energy was palpable all night long as the second-seeded New Jersey City University men's volleyball team swept third-seeded Ramapo College right out of the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament on Thursday night, April 7. The Gothic Knights, looking to clinch their second-straight berth to the Skyline Title match did just that at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) tonight as they bested the Roadrunners for the second straight meeting, this time in three sets (25-22, 25-16, 25-20). NJCU now heads to Patchogue, N.Y., to face top seeded St. Joseph's College-Long Island on Saturday afternoon, April 9, in a rematch of last season's five-set thriller, which ultimately sent the Green and Gold to their first NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship in program history. Back-to-back berths to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line this weekend.
 
The duo of senior outside hitter and reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III National Player of the Week Jonathan Andrews (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and junior tri-captain opposite James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led the way offensively for the Gothic Knights (22-8). Each finished the night with 12 efficient kills, as Andrews (two errors on 27 swings, .370 hitting percentage) added an ace, three digs and a pair of blocks, while Bajor (two errors on 25 swings, .400) finished with seven digs and three blocks. The big man in the middle and reigning New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Defensive Player of the Week, junior tri-captain Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) also had a strong night and finished with eight kills on 15 swings with four errors (.267) to go with a match-high-tying four blocks against the Roadrunners (15-13). Senior libero Daniel Esteva (Union, N.J./Union) held down the back row, once again, and led all players with 13 digs.

Set #1: NJCU 25, Ramapo 20
Things got started as the teams were separated by just two points, 9-7, early on in the first set. At that point, the Gothic Knights kicked it into high gear and went on a 7-3 run to make it a 16-10 game. Bajor notched three of his kills during this spurt alone. However, Ramapo clawed its way back and eventually tied it up at 17-17 before Jersey City took control once more. Eventually, thanks to a kill from DaSilva and then a block from he and Bajor, NJCU led 22-19. Ramapo would once again knot it up at 22-22. Junior tri-captain outside hitter Hanel Collado (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) — who had missed nearly a month due to injury — notched a kill to make it 23-22 before back-to-back strikes from Bajor sealed the first set, 25-22.

Set #2: NJCU 25, Ramapo 16
This one belonged to the Gothic Knights from the get go. They started off with a 5-1 run thanks entirely to Andrews and DaSilva, who combined for three kills and teamed up for a block. The Roadrunners trimmed the gap down to one at 7-6, but the home team again took momentum and jumped out to an eye-popping 13-3 run to take a 20-9 advantage. It was mostly a team effort during this stretch, however senior setter Leo Ferrari (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) chipped in a few nice points with a kill to start it, a combined block with freshman middle blocker Nate Aguilar (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and five assists. He ended the night with a match-best 32 helpers. As expected, the set eventually ended in favor of NJCU, 25-16, thanks to another kill from Andrews to cap it off.

Set #3: NJCU 25, Ramapo 20
The Roadrunners actually started off hot in this one, taking a 5-2 lead to force an early timeout by head coach Carlo Edra. This tactic seemed to work, however, and NJCU chipped its way back into the set before eventually tying it up at 7-7 via a monster kill from DaSilva. From that point on, the battle was an even one as the two squads went back-and-forth until Jersey City held a slim 20-19 lead. The Gothic Knights closed out the match with a 5-1 run, including a block and a kill from Aguilar, a kill from Collado and a match-clinching ace from Collado, as well.

Up Next:
As mentioned, Jersey City returns to action on Saturday with the hopes of defending its 2021 Skyline crown in a rematch with the Golden Ealges out on Long Island at 3:00 p.m.