NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team earned a split on Saturday afternoon at the Hunter Sportsplex, opening with a strong straight-sets win over Hunter College before dropping a non-conference contest to receiving-votes Vassar College. The Gothic Knights now stand at 17-6 overall and remain perfect in CUNYAC play at 8-0.

NJCU began the day in dominant fashion, defeating Hunter 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 26-24) behind an efficient .363 hitting performance. The Gothic Knights controlled the match across nearly every statistical category, finishing with advantages in points (51-45), kills (45-35), assists (41-34), and digs (40-27), while both teams recorded five total blocks. Hunter held the edge at the service line with five aces compared to NJCU's one, but the Gothic Knights' offensive consistency proved to be the difference.

Individually, Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) led the attack with 14 kills while adding eight digs and three assists in a well-rounded effort. Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season, totaling eight kills on a .615 hitting percentage along with two blocks. Solomon Brown (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) was nearly flawless offensively, posting a team-best .625 hitting percentage with six kills on eight attempts. Running the offense, Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) dished out 33 assists while contributing eight digs, four kills, and two blocks. Defensively, Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) anchored the back row with a team-high 10 digs.

The opening set saw NJCU fall behind early, trailing 5-2 before a kill from Casais ignited a commanding 14-4 run that flipped the momentum and gave the Gothic Knights a 19-11 advantage. Hunter attempted to rally late, cutting the deficit to five at 24-19, but a service error handed NJCU the set.

Set two featured a more competitive start, as the teams were tied at four before NJCU used a 9-4 run to build a 13-8 cushion. Hunter answered with a 5-1 stretch to pull within one at 14-13, but the Gothic Knights quickly responded. Sparked by three late kills from Pardasie, NJCU closed the set on an 11-4 run to secure a 25-17 win and take a 2-0 lead.

The third set proved to be the most dramatic, with Hunter controlling much of the early and middle portions. Holding a narrow 10-9 edge, the Hawks capitalized on NJCU errors during a 6-1 run to extend their lead to 16-10. The Gothic Knights chipped away and, trailing 20-15, used a service error to ignite a 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) and Matthew McSorley (Colonia, NJ/Colonia), to pull within one at 20-19. NJCU continued to battle, eventually tying the set at 23 before taking its first lead on a Hunter attack error. After the teams were even at 24, back-to-back kills by Perales and Casais completed the comeback and secured the sweep.

In the second match, NJCU faced a high-powered Vassar team that entered the contest receiving votes in the national poll and showcased its offensive firepower with a .588 hitting percentage. The Brewers swept the Gothic Knights in three sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-15), controlling every major statistical category.

Pardasie once again led NJCU with 13 kills, while Casais recorded 24 assists in the loss. Erick Bacuilima (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) and Jonathan Mundaray (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) each tallied three digs to pace the defensive effort.

Vassar established control early in the opening set, turning a 3-2 lead into a 10-2 advantage with a 7-0 run fueled in part by NJCU attack errors. The Brewers maintained pressure throughout, closing the set on an 8-2 run for a 25-12 win. In the second set, NJCU stayed within striking distance early before Vassar broke things open with a decisive 14-3 run to take a commanding 20-8 lead, eventually winning 25-13.

The third set followed a similar script, as Vassar raced out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back. NJCU showed resilience late, using a 5-1 run sparked by a Perales kill to cut the deficit to single digits, but the early gap proved too much to overcome as the Brewers completed the sweep with a 25-15 victory.

UP NEXT:
NJCU will return to action on Thursday, March 26, traveling to face Medgar Evers College in CUNYAC play. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.