NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team opened CUNYAC play in strong fashion, earning a straight-set victory over John Jay on Thursday, January 22, at The Doghouse. The Gothic Knights defeated the Bloodhounds 25-18, 25-20, and 26-24 to improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference action.

NJCU (3-0, 1-0 CUNYAC) posted a .272 hitting percentage with 39 kills, while John Jay (0-1, 0-1 CUNYAC) finished at .138 with 36 kills. The Gothic Knights held the edge in most statistical categories, including points (51.0-43.0), kills (39-36), aces (6-3), blocks (6-4), and assists (36-34). Both teams recorded 35 digs in the match.

Junior Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) led the Green and Gold with a match-high 17 kills while hitting an efficient .405. He added 10 digs, one ace, and an assist to record his first double-double of the season. Senior setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) directed the offense with 35 assists, four block assists, three digs, and an ace. Freshman Alaittim De Leon (Santiago, Dominic Republic/Harrison) paced the team defensively with five total blocks to go along with three kills, while sophomore Nasir Paige (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) collected a team-high 10 digs.

Nick Fuentes led John Jay with 14 kills and four digs. Jimmy Thinlay contributed 29 assists, two kills, two digs, and a service ace. Adam Bainey recorded four total blocks, and Logan Ramos and Micah Rossman combined for 21 digs for the Bloodhounds.

The Gothic Knights opened the match with four consecutive points, highlighted by a kill from Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) and a service ace by Casais. NJCU maintained control throughout the opening set and secured a 25-18 victory. Their largest lead came at 24-17 following back-to-back kills from Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) and Pardasie, who led the set with five kills.

John Jay briefly held a 6-5 advantage early in the second set, but an attack error followed by consecutive kills from Pardasie gave NJCU a 9-6 lead. Over the next nine points, both teams played error-free volleyball, with NJCU receiving kills from Pardasie, De Souza, and sophomore Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) to extend the lead to 14-10. Two NJCU errors allowed John Jay to cut the deficit to 14-12, but the Gothic Knights responded with a 7-1 run sparked by a service error and a Peralta kill to take a commanding 21-13 lead. John Jay made a late push with three straight points, but De Souza closed the set with a kill to give NJCU a 25-20 win. Pardasie recorded six kills in the set, while Peralta added five.

The Bloodhounds came out strong in the third set, taking an early 6-2 lead as NJCU committed four early errors. The Gothic Knights tied the set at nine, but John Jay responded with a 6-1 run to regain momentum and build a 15-10 advantage. A Pardasie kill halted the run, and an attack error by John Jay trimmed the deficit to three. The Bloodhounds then surged again with an 8-3 run to take a 23-15 lead. Facing match pressure, NJCU rattled off six consecutive points, highlighted by a Pardasie kill and a Peralta service ace, to close the gap to 23-21. Fuentes momentarily shifted momentum back to John Jay with a kill to make it 24-21, but Pardasie answered with a kill before a Bloodhound attack error made it 24-23. Pardasie tied the set at 24, and De Souza delivered a clutch kill to give NJCU its first lead of the set at 25-24. The Gothic Knights sealed the sweep on a final John Jay attack error, winning the set 26-24.

From Head Coach Carlo Edra:

"Their gym was packed to capacity and they let us know we were in enemy territory. We love it and can't wait for the rest of the conference schedule to play out. John Jay looked strong and I love what Head Coach Jonathan Vasquez is doing with that team."

Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Tuesday, January 27, when they host NJAC opponent Ramapo at 7:00 p.m.

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