JERSEY CITY, N.J. | The New Jersey City University (NJCU) men's volleyball team played its final home match ever at the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center on Thursday evening against #4 John Jay in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Semifinal. The Gothic Knights took down John Jay, 3-1 (28-30, 25-17, 25-15, 25-19), to advance to the CUNYAC Championship game on Friday, April 10, at Hunter College against #3 Baruch College.
NJCU (19-9) hit a robust .361 as a team and tallied 58 kills. Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) had a match-high 21 kills on .381 hitting with eight digs, while Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) added 12 kills and four blocks. Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) dished out 49 assists, while Victor De Souza (Newark, N.J./Newark East Side) was a wall at the net with seven blocks. Defensively, Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) paced the team with 18 digs.
John Jay (15-13) was led by Nick Fuentes' 20 kills on .277 hitting. Jimmy Thinlay led the offense with 44 assists and 10 digs.
The Bloodhounds remained stride for stride with the Gothic Knights in the opening set and eventually used a 5-1 run to take a late 21-20 lead. A pair of kills by Pardasie put NJCU back in the driver's seat and gave them set point; however, John Jay refused to back down and used a 5-2 run to claim the first set and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
NJCU regrouped in set two and showed why they are the top seed in the tournament. The Gothic Knights stormed out to a 7-2 lead that saw kills from Pardasie, De Souza, and Matt Peralta (Hackensack, N.J./Hackensack). John Jay clawed its way back into the set after cutting the deficit down to two, but Perales ignited an 8-2 run to propel NJCU to a 20-12 lead. When John Jay was rallying down the stretch, NJCU closed out the set with a 3-1 run to level the match at one.
The Gothic Knights continued their form from set two and once again burst open the set with a large 8-1 run. Much like the second set, however, John Jay had a rally that cut the lead down to a manageable four points. Typically, the distributor of the offense, Casais, took matters into his own hands and tallied back-to-back kills during a 6-2 run to end the set.
In the fourth set, both teams traded rallies, but it was NJCU who came out on top via a 6-1 run to put the Gothic Knights ahead 11-8. With a 13-12 lead, NJCU ripped off a commanding 7-1 run to create the separation needed to close out the match and punch its ticket to the CUNYAC Championship.
FROM HEAD COACH CARLO EDRA
"What a turnout we had for tonight's match! Thank you to everyone who packed out our stands and celebrated this program's history. We played well, but we are going to need more for tomorrow's championship match. Baruch has been playing at a different level since our last match, so tomorrow is going to be interesting."
Up Next:
The Gothic Knights return to action on Friday, April 10, when they take on Baruch College at 6:30 pm in the CUNYAC Championship held at Hunter College.
For the latest news, updates, and information on New Jersey City University Athletics, visit NJCUGothicKnights.com and follow the Gothic Knights on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
