JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team continued its strong start to CUNYAC play, sweeping Lehman College in straight sets on Wednesday night at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center. The Gothic Knights improved to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in conference action with 25-17, 25-16, and 25-17 victories, while the Lightning fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in CUNYAC play.

NJCU delivered an efficient offensive performance, hitting .341 for the match, while Lehman struggled to find rhythm, finishing with a -.014 hitting percentage. The Gothic Knights controlled the stat sheet, holding advantages in points (75-50), kills (38-21), total attacks (82-69), assists (34-20), service aces (5-2), block assists (10-4), and total blocks (6-4). Lehman edged NJCU in solo blocks (2-1) and digs (25-21).

Sophomore Nasir Paige (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) led NJCU with a career-high nine kills and five digs, adding one assist, and one service ace. Junior Solomon Brown (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) was highly efficient, recording seven kills on a .636 hitting percentage along with two block assists. Junior Faraz Bhatti (Union, N.J./Union) directed the offense with 20 assists, while contributing five digs and a block assist. Rookie Keandre Henderson (Austin, Tx./Hutto) anchored the net defensively, posting a team-high 2.5 blocks, including one solo.

For Lehman, Almir Pepic paced the Lightning with nine kills, six digs, a block assist, an assist, and a service ace. Jordan Johnson added seven kills, three digs, and a solo block, while Nathaniel Matthie finished with 17 assists, six digs, and an ace.

The opening set was closely contested early, with the score tied at five before NJCU took control. A decisive 17-7 run, sparked by a kill from freshman Alaittim De Leon (Santiago, Dominic Republic/Harrison), put the Gothic Knights firmly ahead. Lehman committed nine errors during the stretch but responded late with a 5-2 run to cut the deficit to 24-17. NJCU secured the set, 25-17, on a Lightning service error, with De Leon and junior Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) leading the way with three kills apiece.

Lehman held an early edge in the second set until a kill by sophomore Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack) tied the score at eight and ignited a 15-4 NJCU run. The Gothic Knights capitalized on Lightning miscues, as only six kills were recorded during the run, with the remainder coming off Lehman errors. Despite a late push by Lehman to make it 24-16, senior Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) sealed the set with a kill, giving NJCU a 25-16 win. Brown led all players in the set with four kills.

NJCU maintained momentum in the third set. After the score was tied at three, the Gothic Knights went on a 6-1 run, highlighted by two kills from senior Mikey Harte (New York, N.Y./St. John's Preparatory), to take an 8-4 lead. Lehman remained competitive, closing within two points at both 10-8 and 18-16, but NJCU responded emphatically. A dominant 7-1 closing run secured the 25-17 set victory and completed the three-set sweep. Sophomore Johan Vaidyan (Piscataway, N.J./Saint Joseph) contributed two kills during the final stretch, while Paige led the set with four kills.

UP NEXT:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Monday, February 9, traveling to Riverdale, N.Y., to face the University of Mount Saint Vincent. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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