PURCHASE, N.Y. — The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team picked up a pair of sweeping Skyline Conference victories on the campus of Purchase College on Saturday, March 18. The Gothic Knights first topped the hosting Panthers in three sets before defeating St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn afterwards.
NJCU 3, Purchase 0
NJCU (12-7, 5-2 Skyline) got it started against Purchase (5-13, 3-5 Skyline) in the morning as several Gothic Knights got in on the action offensively, led by freshman
Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) and sophomore
Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria), who each had 11 points. The former had a match-best 11 kills and four errors on 20 swings (.350 hitting percentage), while the latter notched a career-high nine kills and two errors on 15 swings (.467), as well as four digs, a block and three assists.
The first set had some runs on both sides to start until the Gothic Knights led 14-11. They proceeded to win 11 of the final 13 points to take the set, 25-13. Perales had three kills over that span, while senior
James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) had a pair and his classmate
Leo Ferrari (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) had a pair of aces. The second saw NJCU slowly build up a strong lead against the Panthers until the visitors were up 18-12. The Green and Gold then won six of the final nine points to take the set, 25-15. Perales had two more kills during that stretch, while senior
Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) had an ace and a kill.
Purchase led briefly at 5-4 to start the third, but NJCU then went on a 10-2 run to double up the Panthers at 14-7, thanks in part to two kills each from McGehee and freshman
Ethen Lugo (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and a pair of aces for junior
Kenneth Gil (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen). Then, leading 17-10, Jersey City won eight of the last 12 to seel the set, 25-14, and win the match, 3-0 — McGehee had three kills and Gil had two during that final stretch.
Highlights vs. Purchase:
- Senior
Daniel Esteva (Union, N.J./Union) led all players with 10 digs.
- Bajor finished with seven kills and six digs over two sets, while DaSilva had five error-less kills on nine swings (.556) to go with three digs, two blocks and an ace over to sets.
- Freshman
Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led all players with a match-best 25 assists to go with four digs over two sets. Fellow rookie
Erik Narvaez (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) had eight assists and two digs in one set, as well.
NJCU 3, St. Joe's-Brooklyn 0:
Jersey City made quick work of the Bears (3-10, 2-5 Skyline), again winning in three straight. Perales dominated once again with a career- and match-best 14 kills and just two errors on 22 swings (.545) to go with a couple of blocks. Junior
Nico Figueroa (Jersey City, N.J./County Prep) saw three sets of action and had seven error-less kills on 12 swings (.583) to go with four digs and a block. The first set was close early, with NJCU leading 5-4, but the Gothic Knights closed it out on a 20-4 run. DaSilva had four kills and a block over that stretch, while Perales notched four kills of his own.
Set number two started close as well, with NJCU leading 10-7 early on. Jersey City then won 15 of the final 20 points to win it, 25-12. Perales had three kills and two blocks over that stretch, while Bajor combined with him for both assisted blocks and added a kill and an ace. In the third, the Bears won four straight points to make it 12-9 in favor of NJCU, but the Gothic Knights then won six straight to go back up, 18-9, thanks in part to a couple of combined blocks for Lugo and Aguilar. Jersey City won the set, 25-14, and took the match in three.
Highlights vs. St. Joe's:
- DaSilva was a perfect 5-of-5 on swings (1.000) in one set with two blocks.
- Esteva (match-best 9) and junior
Leandro Perez (Elizabeth, N.J./Kearny) (6) combined for 15 digs in the back row.
- Bajor had two kills, three aces, three blocks and two digs.
- Casais dished out a match-best 20 assists to go with three digs, while Narvaez had nine to go with three aces.
Highlights:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday night, March 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Mahwah, N.J., for a Skyline/New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) match against Ramapo College.
