PURCHASE, NY - The Gothic Knights went 2-0 in their Skyline tri-match this evening, taking down Purchase 3-1 before sweeping the University of Mount Saint Vincent, 3-0.

Match 1: NJCU 3, Purchase 1 (25-15, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16)

NJCU (10-7, 5-1) hit a robust .375 in the match with a match-high of .519 in the second set. Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) remained red-hot, tallying a match-high 24 kills while hitting .422. Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) didn't register an error in the match and secured 11 kills on .688 hitting and also led the team with four blocks. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) dished out 46 assists while Damon LaSalle (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) moved within two of the all-time NJCU blocking record. Purchase (10-10, 3-2) was led by Channing Williams' 19 kills. Ayden Mercado tallied 24 assists and seven digs.

Trailing 6-5 in the first set, a pair of service aces by LaSalle ignited a 12-3 run in favor of the Gothic Knights. During that stretch, Pardasie, Walker, and Casais tallied kills while the team capitalized on attacking errors by Purchase. The Panthers chipped away at the lead late with three unanswered points before NJCU closed out the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second set, the Gothic Knights held a small 5-4 lead before stretching their lead to four with a 3-0 run. The set remained close until De Souza slammed an attack off of the floor, surging the Gothic Knights to a 7-1 run and increasing their lead to 17-9. NJCU carried that lead to go up 2-0 in the match.

Purchase picked up a set in the third, using a late rally to fend off the Gothic Knights and preventing the sweep.

NJCU regained its form in the fourth, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. With a strong lead, the Gothic Knights never let the Panthers rally as De Souza and Walker picked up late kills in the set to secure the match for the Gothic Knights.

Match 2: NJCU 3, UMSV 0 (25-8, 25-15, 25-9)

NJCU (11-7, 6-1) swept UMSV for the second time in as many days behind .339 hitting. Pardasie mimicked De Souza's first match with zero attacking errors on 19 total attacks and 9 kills. De Souza continued to be a menace at the net and tallied six blocks in the win. UMSV (3-10, 2-4) was led offensively by Olatomiwa Ibitayo with six kills.

Pardasie tallied two kills during a 7-0 run to open the match, putting NJCU ahead 7-0 early. A bad set by the Gothic Knights cut the lead in half, 14-7, however, NJCU ripped off an 11-1 run with four kills and two aces to win the opening set.

The Gothic Knights fell behind 4-2 in the second set but quickly flipped the script. NJCU used a 9-1 run backed by an ace from Mikey Harte (New York, N.Y./St. John's Preparatory) and a kill by Johan Vaidyan (Piscataway, N.J./Saint Joseph). From there, the Gothic Knights continued to string points together until they went up 2-0 in the match.

UMSV ran out of steam in the third set as the Gothic Knights opened the final set with an 18-2 run. NJCU carried that momentum to the end as they completed the sweep against the Dolphins.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Thursday, March 5 when they travel to take on Old Westbury at 6:00 pm.

For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University sports, visit njcugothicknights.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Gothic Knights news by following NJCU Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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