JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team dropped a non-conference heavyweight bout to #16 SUNY New Paltz on Wednesday evening, 3-0.
NJCU (9-4) suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Gothic Knights were held to just .102 hitting with 22 kills as a team. Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) and Solomon Brown (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) paced the attack with six kills each, with Brown leading the team at a .600 hit percentage. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) was limited to 18 assists, while Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) swatted down three blocks.
New Paltz (10-5) received a dominant performance from Nikko Tenedorio, who hammered 12 kills on .500 hitting. Daniel Shanley orchestrated the offense with 29 assists, while Michael Spiegel anchored the defense with a team-high 12 digs.
New Paltz seized control early in the first set, surging to a 7-3 lead over the Gothic Knights. NJCU rallied and sliced the deficit to one, 14-13, with kills by De Souza and Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack). The Hawks answered with a 4-1 run to push their advantage back to four. The Gothic Knights fought to stay within striking distance, but a 5-2 New Paltz run closed out the set and gave them a 1-0 match lead.
NJCU came out as the aggressor in the second set, grabbing an early 5-3 advantage behind a Mikey Harte (New York, N.Y./St. John's Preparatory) ace and a Perales kill. New Paltz quickly erased the gap and flipped the script in their favor, 8-7. The Gothic Knights briefly reclaimed the lead before New Paltz exploded on a devastating 10-2 run to catapult ahead 18-12. NJCU mounted a late rally with a 6-3 run, but the deficit proved too steep as New Paltz secured the kills to take a 2-0 match advantage.
The squads traded points in the third set before NJCU's offense ran out of gas. An 8-1 New Paltz run ballooned their lead to five—a deficit the Gothic Knights couldn't overcome.
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Friday, February 20, for a CUNYAC match against Brooklyn College at 7:00 pm in the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center.
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.
