CHESTER, PA | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a hard-fought 3-1 (25-17, 14-25, 25-19, 25-15) victory over Widener University on Wednesday, January 15, at the Schwartz Center.

NJCU (1-0) was led by Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill), who paced all players with 18 kills on .342 hitting while adding five digs, two assists, two service aces, and a block assist for a match-high 20.5 points. Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) contributed seven kills on .250 hitting and added eight digs and three block assists for 8.5 points. Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) posted five kills on .417 hitting (5-0-12) with two solo blocks, two block assists, and one service ace for 9.0 points. Setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) orchestrated the Gothic Knights' offense with 31 assists while adding two kills, five digs, one service ace, and three block assists. Nasir Paige (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) tallied a team-high 10 digs in the win.

Widener (1-1) was led by Christian Wannamaker's 11 kills on .174 hitting with three digs, two service aces, and one block assist for 13.5 points. Stephen Marquis added 10 kills on .125 hitting with four digs, two service aces, and one block assist for 12.5 points. Setter Jason Sandberg distributed 35 assists while contributing two kills, six digs, and two service aces.

The Gothic Knights seized control early in the opening set, jumping out to a 9-5 lead behind strong serving and efficient attacking. Paige's kill from a Casais assist made it 16-13, and consecutive attack errors by Widener extended NJCU's lead to 19-13. McGehee closed out the set with a kill to give the Gothic Knights a commanding 25-17 victory on .520 hitting.

Widener stormed back in the second set, racing to a 6-0 lead behind service aces from Sandberg and Marquis. The Pioneers continued their dominance, extending the advantage to 21-11 before closing out the set 25-14 on a Wannamaker kill to even the match at one set apiece.

NJCU found its rhythm midway through the third set, as Pardasie's kill gave the Gothic Knights a 17-13 lead. The Gothic Knights pushed their lead out to 19-15 before scoring four straight to put them within two of the set. Widener would storm back with a 4-0 run of its own, however, De Souza sealed the set with a kill from a Bacuilima assist to give the Gothic Knights a 25-19 victory and a 2-1 match lead.

In the decisive fourth set, NJCU opened with a dominant 8-1 run, highlighted by Casais' service ace and kills from Pardasie, De Souza, and McGehee. The Gothic Knights maintained control throughout, never allowing Widener to mount a serious comeback. Perales closed out the match with back-to-back service points, including a Pardasie kill and a De Souza kill from a Casais assist, securing the 25-15 victory.

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday, January 20 when they travel to Purchase, NY, for a non-conference match at 7:00 pm.

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