PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team saw its impressive season come to a close in the Skyline Conference Championship, falling to top-seeded St. Joseph's University Long Island (SJLI) in a hard-fought four-set match on Saturday, April 12 at the Danzi Center. The final set scores were 23-25, 15-25, 25-22, 19-25.

Despite the loss, the Gothic Knights (22-9 overall, 16-2 Skyline) put up a strong statistical performance. NJCU led in total points (68-67), kills (57-54), blocks (8-7), and assists (57-54), while SJLI held advantages in hitting percentage (.370 to NJCU's .213), service aces (6-3), and digs (40-37).

Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) delivered a standout performance for NJCU, registering a match-high 22 kills, along with seven digs, a service ace, one block, and one assist. Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) added 14 kills, three digs, two blocks, an ace, and an assist, while Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) chipped in with 11 kills on a .348 hitting percentage, six blocks, a service ace, and a dig. Setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) orchestrated the offense with 54 assists, also contributing nine digs, two kills, and a block. Additional contributions came from Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria), who added five kills, six digs, and three blocks, and Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter), who provided seven digs and an assist on the defensive end.

For St. Joseph's, Luke MacPherson led the charge with an efficient 20 kills on a .447 hitting percentage. He also recorded seven digs, three service aces, a block, and an assist. Will Kropp provided stability at the setter position, finishing with 49 assists, seven digs, a service ace, and a block. AJ Esposito added six kills and four blocks, while defenders Connor Ruias and Tyler Anderson combined for 21 digs, helping the Golden Eagles secure their fourth consecutive Skyline Conference title.

The match opened with NJCU grabbing an early 3-2 advantage, but SJLI responded with a 5-0 run to take a 7-3 lead. Down 13-9, the Gothic Knights rallied behind a Pardasie kill that sparked a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 14-13. The set remained tight, with NJCU up 22-21 late, but a kill from SJLI followed by three consecutive NJCU attack errors handed the Golden Eagles the first set, 25-23.

Set two remained close early, as NJCU tied the score at 12 after back-to-back kills by Nate Aguilar (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and Peralta. However, the momentum shifted dramatically, as SJLI went on a dominating 11-1 run to surge ahead 23-13, eventually closing out the set 25-15.

In the third set, NJCU regrouped and showed strong resolve, opening with a 5-1 run and maintaining a lead through most of the frame. SJLI closed the gap to just one point at 17-16, but NJCU responded with a key 5-1 run to extend their lead to 22-17. The Gothic Knights held off a late SJLI push, clinching the set 25-22 on another kill by Pardasie to stay alive in the match.

The fourth set began competitively, with NJCU holding a narrow 9-8 lead. However, a decisive 11-3 run by the Golden Eagles gave them a 19-12 advantage, a gap NJCU struggled to close. The Knights made one final push, cutting the deficit to 21-18 behind three straight kills by Pardasie, but SJLI ended the match on a strong note with a pair of kills and two NJCU attack errors to secure the set 25-19 and the championship victory.

The win marked St. Joseph's Long Island's fourth consecutive Skyline Conference title. Interestingly, the last time SJLI fell in the conference tournament was in 2021, when they were defeated by NJCU in a thrilling five-set final.

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