JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team resumed Skyline Conference action Tuesday evening, March 28, as the Gothic Knights faced rival Purchase College. The Green and Gold dominated the match and won in three straight sets (25-11, 25-15, 25-17) at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC).
Jersey City (16-8, 9-3 Skyline) opened the gates strong, as the Gothic Knights boasted an early 9-3 run. In a game that saw head coach Carlo Edra utilize his entire roster to its fullest extent, senior opposite and captain James Bajor (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) was electric in the first set, tallying two aces, which aided the early lead, along with four kills. Purchase (4-19, 2-10 Skyline) cut the deficit as close as three, but a 7-0 run aided by attacking momentum from senior outside hitter/setter Leo Ferrari (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) made the score 16-6, putting NJCU up by 10. The lead shrank back to single digits, however the Green and Gold outscored the Panthers 9-5 to end the first set, taking it 25-11.
Set two saw a slightly different lineup on the floor, as sophomore middle blocker Nate Aguilar (Kearny, N.J./Kearny), who also played well in set one, immediately made his presence felt with a loud kill to put NJCU up 3-2 after both teams split points to open up the set. The kill from Aguilar began an eventual 10-0 run, all with Aguilar serving after the kill, as NJCU for the second time in the match had a lead of double digits, 12-2. The Panthers answered back with 7-1 run of their own after, to make the score 13-9, but after multiple service errors from Purchase, NJCU got back into a groove, putting together another 4-0 run to expand the lead to 18-10. The gap was all that NJCU needed to take the second set, outscoring Purchase 7-5 the remainder of the way, taking set two, 25-15.
The early portion of set three played to a similar tone as the first two sets as Aguilar, sophomore middle blocker Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) and junior opposite Kenneth Gil (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen), who had two loud kills to close the second set, combined to put together a 6-0 run after NJCU dropped the first point of the set to make the score 6-1. The Panthers this time had answered back with a 5-1 run to make the score 7-6, but NJCU did not budge in allowing them to tie the score until the mid portions of the set when the score was 13-13. Right after though, the Gothic Knights re-established control, as they boasted an 8-1 run led by both McGehee and Gil yet again, to make the score 21-14. After, McGehee tallied on more kill, but it was freshman middle blocker and two-time defending Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week, Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) putting the finishing touches to a dominant match with his eighth and ninth kills of the contest, sealing NJCU a set three victory 25-17, along with a regular-season sweep of Purchase.
Highlights:
- Aguilar's nine kills marks a season high, and the most he's tallied in a match since his career high of 10 against St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn on March 26, of last season.
- Despite what seemingly was a quiet nine kill day, Perales has combined for 72 over the last seven matches, along with 14 blocking assists and 79 total points.
- In just two sets played, freshman setter Erik Narvaez (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) tallied a game-high 16 assists.
- Gil also had a very under the radar day, as he tallied two blocking assists along with his six kill performance.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return home to the JMAC on Thursday, March 30, as they look to seek retribution against conference rival and first place St. Joseph's University-Long Island. The Golden Eagles had the upper hand earlier in the season in the first matchup, as they beat NJCU in three competitive sets.
