JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team split a non-conference tri-match this afternoon at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center. The Gothic Knights fell to Misericordia in five sets in the opening match of the day before sweeping John Jay to close out the day.
Match 1: Misericordia 3, NJCU 2 (27-25, 22-25, 27-29, 25-21,12-15)
NJCU (14-6) hit .199 as a team with 62 kills led by a career-high 20 from McGehee. Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) added 16 kills and hit .500 for the match, along with a team-high five blocks. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) led the team with 45 assists while Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) tallied 14 digs.
The Gothic Knights opened the match with a 7-4 run to seize early control. Misericordia regrouped and deployed a 10-3 spurt to catapult into the lead. Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) leveled the set after finding a hole in the Cougars' defense and hammering it down off the floor. McGehee stayed hot late and eventually gave NJCU the lead, 22-20, forcing Misericordia into a timeout. The Cougars came out of the timeout and knotted it at 24 before a pair of errors handed NJCU the set. McGehee led the way with a team-high seven kills.
In the second set, the intensity remained fierce as neither team could pull away. Halfway through the frame, the teams remained deadlocked, trading points until Perales found the back right corner, followed by a double block from De Leon and Casais to give NJCU a two-point edge. Misericordia began to unravel and took a timeout to regroup as NJCU held a late 18-15 lead. NJCU's advantage dissolved after the timeout as the set leveled at 19. The Cougars deployed a pair of blocks to take a 22-20 lead as NJCU's offense stalled, forcing a timeout. Despite a late push, NJCU couldn't overcome the deficit as Misericordia tied the match at one.
The Cougars surged out strong in the third set, grabbing a 5-2 lead before NJCU stormed back to tie it at six. Perales gave NJCU a 16-15 advantage before Erick Bacuilima (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) built on that momentum with back-to-back aces. The Gothic Knights pushed the lead to 21-19 before a block pulled the Cougars within one. Benjamin Clendening for Misericordia found his rhythm and gave the Cougars two straight points to swing momentum in their favor. With their backs against the wall, the Gothic Knights rallied to tie it at 24 on a Perales kill. After trading points, Misericordia tallied the two they needed to take a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth, the battle raged on, and it appeared the Cougars would run away with the set late. NJCU, however, answered with a run of its own to tie it at 19 before deploying two McGehee kills and a 6-1 run to force a fifth set.
Misericordia seized control early in the fifth and never relinquished the lead. The Gothic Knights mounted a 3-0 run with the Cougars holding match point, capped by a De Leon kill, but the Cougars closed out the match with a Chris U'Glay kill.
Match 2: NJCU 3, John Jay 0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-17)
NJCU (15-6) was led by Amaru Perales's (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) 13 kills while hitting .591. He also added four total blocks. Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) added 9 kills while Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) led the way with six blocks. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) dished out 31 assists in the win.
John Jay (11-8) picked up 11 kills by Nick Fuentes and 22 assists from Jimmy Thinlay.
The Gothic Knights and Bloodhounds battled through a tight opening set with NJCU edging John Jay, 25-23. NJCU came out strong with a 5-2 lead behind a block party from De Souza. The Bloodhounds eventually leveled the set, a theme that persisted for the remainder of the frame. With the set knotted at 23, Perales delivered the spark the Gothic Knights needed with a kill to push them past the finish line and secure a 1-0 match lead.
NJCU dominated the second set with a commanding 25-13 victory. Early in the frame with the score tied at four, the Gothic Knights ripped off a devastating 14-2 run, led by McGehee's five kills. The surge put NJCU ahead 18-6 and allowed them to cruise to a 2-0 match advantage.
In the third, the teams battled early, eventually playing to a 12-12 deadlock. With the set tied, NJCU deployed a 9-0 run that included two Perales kills and two from Mikey Harte (New York, N.Y./St. John's Preparatory) to surge into the lead. The Bloodhounds attempted to rally back with a 3-0 run, but their comeback fell short as McGehee slammed the door to secure the sweep.
FROM HEAD COACH CARLO EDRA:
"This senior class means a lot to me and it was nice to see them come away with a win on their senior day. We had a bit of a slow start because I'm sure we battled with some emotions but we finished the last two sets strong."
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