JERSEY CITY, N.J. — In a thrilling semifinal showdown at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center on Thursday, April 10, the second-seeded New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team edged out third-seeded Ramapo College in a five-set battle (25-27, 25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 15-9) to advance to the Skyline Conference Championship match. The Gothic Knights (22-8, 16-2 Skyline) overcame an early deficit and showed remarkable resilience, fueled by a historic performance from sophomore standout Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill).

Pardasie made program history by becoming the first NJCU player to record three 30+ kill matches in a single season, and the only one to log back-to-back performances with over 30 kills. Against Ramapo, he delivered a dominant effort, tallying 33 kills on a .379 hitting percentage, along with 10 digs, two blocks, a service ace, and an assist. This marked his fifth double-double of the season and sixth of his collegiate career.
NJCU outpaced Ramapo statistically, finishing the match with more kills (65-60), blocks (9-6), assists (61-58), and digs (68-60). The Roadrunners held a slight edge in service aces, 6-3, but struggled to match NJCU's efficiency, as the Gothic Knights posted a .286 team hitting percentage compared to Ramapo's .199.

Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) contributed 12 kills on an impressive .423 hitting clip, alongside nine digs, two blocks, and a season-high three assists. Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) added a balanced performance with 10 kills (.318), four blocks, three digs, a service ace, and an assist. Setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) orchestrated the offense with precision, dishing out 54 assists while setting a career-high with 16 digs. He also contributed two kills, a service ace, and a season-best four block assists — notching his third double-double and third 50+ assist game of the year.

On the defensive end, Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) led the team with a season-high 19 digs, while also recording two assists and his first career kill. Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) also made a significant impact, registering a career-high 10 digs, along with a kill and a block. Matthew McSorley (Colonia, NJ/Colonia) chipped in with a season-high three block assists and two kills.

For Ramapo, Reece Kirchofer led the attack with 22 kills (.246), 12 digs, and three block assists. Brady Cascone followed with 20 kills (.151), six digs, and two assists. Caleb Ford was highly efficient, hitting .438 with eight kills, four blocks, a service ace, and an assist. JoJo Meyer matched Casais with 54 assists, adding eight digs and a block. Jan Tracz provided a spark with six kills, four service aces, six digs, and two blocks, while Sean McNally led all players with 19 digs.

The match opened with Ramapo jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, eventually extending their advantage to 13-8. NJCU rallied with six straight points to narrow the gap to 14-13, and eventually tied the set at 25 after a clutch kill by Pardasie. However, Ramapo closed out the set with two consecutive points to take the early 1-0 lead.

The second set was tightly contested, tied at 13 midway through. NJCU seized momentum with a 5-2 run led by multiple kills from De Souza and Pardasie, pushing the score to 18-15. Ramapo responded to tie the set at 21, but three kills from Pardasie and another from De Souza clinched the 25-23 win for the Gothic Knights.

In the third set, Ramapo briefly led 5-3 before NJCU exploded on an 8-1 run, aided by a series of Roadrunner errors. The Gothic Knights dominated the remainder of the set, building a double-digit lead and cruising to a 25-15 victory to go up 2-1 in the match.

Set four saw another strong start from Ramapo, who erased an early NJCU lead and surged ahead 18-14 following a 7-2 run. NJCU clawed back to tie the set at 23, but a kill by Cascone and a Gothic Knights attack error allowed Ramapo to force a decisive fifth set.

In the final frame, Ramapo was plagued by rotation errors that helped NJCU jump out to a commanding 8-2 lead. A kill from Peralta extended the advantage to 12-5, and Pardasie closed out the match with two final kills to seal the 15-9 set win and 3-2 match victory.

From Head Coach Carlo Edra:
"I would rather not play five-set matches for my blood pressure, but they do help us train under extreme pressure, which is what we expect from post-season matches. I cannot express how proud I am of these guys. Our starting lineup has five underclassmen, so winning a match like this is great preparation to play a conference championship."

UP NEXT:
NJCU advances to the Skyline Conference Championship match where they will face top-seeded St. Joseph's University Long Island on Saturday, April 12. Match time is to be announced.

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