NEW YORK, N.Y. — The New Jersey City University (NJCU) Gothic Knights delivered a dominant performance on Thursday night, sweeping the City College of New York (CCNY) Beavers in straight sets, 25-15, 25-10, 25-21, at Nat Holman Gymnasium.

With the victory, NJCU improved to 11-5 overall and remained undefeated in conference play at 4-0 in CUNYAC, while CCNY dropped to 5-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

The Gothic Knights controlled the match from start to finish, posting a .290 team hitting percentage with 31 kills, while limiting the Beavers to a .000 hitting percentage and 21 kills. NJCU led across the board statistically, outscoring CCNY in points (44-27), kills (31-21), aces (8-3), blocks (5-3), assists (30-21), and digs (35-23).

Junior Solomon Brown (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood) paced the Gothic Knights' attack, recording his first double-digit kills performance of the season and the second of his career. Brown finished with 10 kills on a .563 hitting percentage, adding a solo block and an assist while totaling 11 points. Senior setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) efficiently directed the offense, dishing out 24 assists while contributing three digs, a solo block, and a service ace. Senior Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) turned in one of the most impactful performances of the match, recording a career-high six service aces to go along with five kills, three digs, and a solo block. Perales led all players with 12 total points.Defensively, sophomore Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) anchored the back row with a team-high 10 digs, helping NJCU maintain consistent pressure throughout the match.

CCNY was led offensively by Gabriel Linus, who totaled nine kills and three digs while posting a team-best .278 hitting percentage. Ruben Santiago added 17 assists, while Amir Nabiyev and Diangelo Arias each recorded six digs.

NJCU seized momentum early in the opening set. After the Beavers cut the deficit to one at 6-5, the Gothic Knights responded with a 5-0 run, aided by several CCNY errors, to build a comfortable lead. Kills by Brown, junior Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill), and senior Mike McGehee (Avondale, Ariz./Agua Fria) pushed the advantage to double digits before Perales sealed the 25-15 set victory with a kill and service ace.

The Gothic Knights carried that momentum into the second set. With the score tied at 2-2, NJCU erupted for an 8-0 run fueled by contributions from Brown, Perales, McGehee, and freshman Alaittim De Leon (Santiago, Dominic Republic/Harrison). NJCU extended its lead to 16-6, and sophomore Nas Paige closed the set in emphatic fashion with three consecutive kills to secure the 25-10 win.

The third set proved to be the most competitive. CCNY jumped out to an early 4-2 lead, but NJCU answered with four straight points, including back-to-back service aces by Perales. The Beavers later rallied with a 5-0 run to trim the deficit to 12-11, eventually taking a brief lead at 15-14. The teams battled to a 20-20 tie, but late CCNY attack errors shifted momentum back to NJCU. After a CCNY kill cut the lead to one at 22-21, the Gothic Knights closed the match with a service ace from sophomore Johan Viadyan and a final kill from Perales to complete the sweep, 25-21.

UP NEXT:
NJCU will return home this weekend to host the York College Cardinals and the City College of New York Beavers in a CUNYAC tri-match on Saturday, March 7 at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center, with matches scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m..