PURCHASE, N.Y. | New Jersey City University's (NJCU) men's volleyball squad bounced back from a two-set deficit to defeat Purchase College 3-2 (23-25, 17-25, 25-14, 25-19, 15-11) at the Purchase College, SUNY Gymnasium. The win over Purchase moved NJCU to 19-2 all-time against the Panthers and extended the win streak to 11 in a row.
NJCU (2-0) hit .340 as a team despite the rocky start to the match. CUNYAC Player of the Week, Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill), paced the team with 17 kills while hitting .452. Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) finished with 10 kills thanks to a team-high 38 assists by Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne). Casais was highly effective at the net, tallying a match-high five blocks.
Purchase (1-3) was led by Jael Martinez, who tallied 14 kills on .242 hitting. Danny Kanner dished out a match-high 40 assists while also leading the team with eight digs.
Purchase came out firing in the opening frame, hitting .231 with 11 kills to edge NJCU 25-23. The Gothic Knights held an early 6-2 lead before pushing it out to 17-11 thanks to a kill by Pardasie and an error by the Panthers. Trailing by two, 22-20, Purchase went on a 6-1 run, powered by four kills, to take the opening set of the match.
The Panthers dominated the second set, posting a blistering .632 attack percentage with 13 kills and just one error to cruise to a 25-17 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
NJCU regrouped in the third set and turned the match around. The Gothic Knights hit .542 with 15 kills and only two errors to roll 25-14 and get back in the match. Kills by Pardasie, Casais, and Peralta pushed the Gothic Knights ahead 10-3 early on. Down two sets, NJCU refused to allow Purchase back into the set as they extended their lead to 23-10 before closing out the set and cutting the lead down to 2-1.
They maintained that momentum in the fourth set, hitting .280 to take a 25-19 decision. An attacking error by the Panthers put NJCU ahead 14-11, however, Purchase kept it close until NJCU ripped off a 5-0 run to bring them within two points of tying the match at two. Despite a late rally by Purchase, NJCU was able to slam the door closed on any comeback attempt as they knotted the match at two to force a fifth set.
In the winner-take-all fifth set, NJCU hit a flawless .438 with seven kills and zero errors to pull away for the 15-11 victory and complete the comeback.
FROM HEAD COACH CARLO EDRA:
"Purchase came out strong in the first two sets. We are very familiar with them, having been in their conference, and there was something different about them tonight. Nasir Paige (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) really stepped up for us at libero and is the main reason we escaped with a win."
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Thursday, January 22, when they hit the road to take on John Jay College for a CUNYAC match.
For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University Athletics, visit NJCUGothicKnights.com and follow the Gothic Knights on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
