GENEVA, N.Y. | New Jersey City University's (NJCU) men's volleyball squad fell in straight sets to #20 Hobart 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-17) on Friday afternoon at Bristol Gym. The meeting between Hobart and NJCU was the first in program history.
NJCU (4-1) hit -.111 for the match with 14 kills and committed 11 service errors that proved costly. Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) paced the Gothic Knights with five kills, Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) and Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) added three kills each. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) dished out 10 assists while Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) tied for the team lead with four digs.
Hobart (4-4) was led by Daniel Sappia, who tallied a match-high eight kills while hitting .400. Kian Kischke was nearly flawless, recording six kills on nine attempts without an error for a blistering .667 attack percentage. Harry Fromberg added five kills on .714 hitting, while Noah DeLong and Aiden Kemora each chipped in six kills. Setter Charlie Dugan orchestrated the offense with a match-high 27 assists.
Hobart came out firing in the opening frame, hitting .438 with nine kills to cruise to a 25-10 victory. The Statesmen jumped out to an early 7-1 lead and never looked back. Just when the Gothic Knights looked to be gaining momentum, Hobart used a 10-1 run to balloon its lead out to 15. NJCU managed just two kills in the set while committing five service errors that helped fuel Hobart's dominant start.
The Statesmen maintained control in the second set, posting an even more impressive .467 attack percentage with eight kills and just one error to take a commanding 25-12 decision. Once again, Hobart got off to a hot start, taking a 7-1 lead fueled by three NJCU errors. De Souza brought NJCU within four with a kill, but it wasn't enough to spark the NJCU offense as Hobart went on a 7-1 run to expand its lead further.
NJCU showed fight in the third set, putting together their most competitive performance of the afternoon. The Gothic Knights hung tough early, trading points with Hobart through multiple ties and lead changes. Trailing by one, Hobart scored four straight points to regain the lead, 7-4, before Peralta stopped the scoring streak with a kill of his own. Hobart then used an 11-2 run to put the set out of reach for the Gothic Knights as Hobart completed the sweep.
Up Next:
NJCU returns to action on Sunday, February 1, where they will take on Nazareth at 11:00 am and Trine at 1:00 pm.
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