JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team dropped a non-conference matchup to No. 8 New York University (NYU) in three sets on Thursday, February 26, at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
The Gothic Knights (10-5, 3-0 CUNYAC) posted a .145 hitting percentage compared to NYU's .322 (11-3, 1-0 UVC). The Violets outpaced NJCU in several statistical categories, including points (53-34), kills (45-26), aces (5-1), assists (34-28), and digs (37-23). The Gothic Knights held the advantage at the net with a 7-3 edge in blocks.
Junior Solomon Brown (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) led NJCU with six kills, three blocks, and two digs. Junior Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) added six kills and five digs. Senior Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) directed the offense with 21 assists, three blocks, two kills, and NJCU's lone service ace. Junior Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) contributed three blocks and four kills. Sophomore Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) recorded a team-high six digs, while sophomore Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) added four.
Emerson Evans paced the Violets with 12 kills, nine digs, three service aces, and one assist. Devyn Nguyen distributed 33 assists to go along with four digs, two blocks, one kill, and one ace. Cade Miller tallied five kills, three digs, and a team-best two blocks, while Bennet Tchaikovsky anchored the defense with 10 digs and two assists.
NYU seized early momentum in the opening set, capitalizing on three straight NJCU errors to take a 3-1 lead. After NJCU trimmed the deficit to 8-6, the Violets responded with a 5-0 run to extend the margin to 13-6. NYU's largest lead of the set came at 15-7 following a service ace. The Gothic Knights answered with three consecutive points, including kills by Pardasie and Brown, but could not close the gap further as NYU secured the 25-18 first-set win.
The second set remained competitive, with NJCU trailing 17-15 before NYU used a 7-1 run to build a 24-16 advantage. The Gothic Knights mounted a late 5-0 run to narrow the score to 24-21, but Evans closed the set with a kill, giving the Violets a 25-21 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
NYU controlled the third set from the start, opening with an 8-0 run. NJCU struggled offensively, recording its first kill at 13-4 on a strike from Brown. After falling behind 17-7, the Gothic Knights responded with four straight points, including two kills by sophomore Nas Paige, but the Violets closed on an 8-3 run to claim the set 25-14 and complete the sweep.
UP NEXT
NJCU returns to action on Thursday, March 5, for a CUNY Athletic Conference matchup against City College of New York at 7:00 p.m.
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