SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The New Jersey City University men's volleyball team saw its season come to a close Thursday night, falling to Buffalo State in a tightly contested five-set NCAA Division III Tournament play-in match at Blake Arena. The Bengals prevailed by set scores of 25-21, 22-25, 21-25, 32-30 and 15-13.
Despite the loss, NJCU (20-10) turned in a strong all-around performance, outpacing Buffalo State (29-4) in several key statistical categories. The Gothic Knights finished with advantages in points (88-77), kills (72-57), assists (65-52) and digs (63-44), while hitting .213 as a team. Buffalo State countered with a .229 hitting percentage and held the edge in service aces (9-6) and total blocks (11-10).
Senior outside hitter Marcus Pardasie (Paramus, N.J./Cresskill) delivered a standout performance, totaling a match-high 27.5 points on a season-best 25 kills while hitting .250. He added two service aces, two assists and a block, recording his sixth double-double of the season. Amaru Perales (Harrison, N.J./Harrison) contributed 14 kills and six blocks, along with two digs and an ace, while setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) matched a career high with 59 assists to go along with six kills, four blocks and four digs. Defensively, Anthony Matute (Passaic, N.J./Passaic Charter) anchored the back row with a career-best 22 digs.
Buffalo State was led by Gavin Wilczewski, who posted 22 kills, nine digs and four aces. Drew Bowman directed the offense with 48 assists, while Kellen Palmer made his presence felt at the net with seven blocks and eight kills. Jackson Stang added 10 digs in the winning effort.
The opening set featured early momentum swings, with Buffalo State using a 6-0 run to take control after trailing 4-2. NJCU battled back to tie the score at 21, but the Bengals closed the frame with four consecutive points to secure a 25-21 win.
NJCU responded in the second set, rallying from a late deficit to claim a 25-22 victory. After Buffalo State took a 22-21 lead, the Gothic Knights scored the final four points, highlighted by two kills from Perales and a set-ending service ace by Peralta.
The Gothic Knights carried that momentum into the third set, using a decisive 10-2 run to build a commanding lead. Pardasie sealed the 25-21 win with a kill, giving NJCU a 2-1 match advantage.
In the fourth set, NJCU appeared poised to close out the match after building a 22-19 lead. However, Buffalo State forced extended play and ultimately edged the Gothic Knights 32-30, capitalizing on a late kill and an NJCU attack error to force a decisive fifth set.
The final set mirrored the intensity of the match, featuring multiple ties and momentum shifts. NJCU gained an early 8-5 advantage, but Buffalo State responded to even the score at eight. The teams traded points down the stretch before the Bengals secured the final two points to clinch the 15-13 victory and advance.
Under head coach Carlo Edra, the program's all-time winningest coach and the CUNYAC Coach of the Year, the appearance marked NJCU's second trip to the NCAA Tournament, and its first since 2021. The 20-win campaign also represented the program's third consecutive season reaching that milestone and the 11th such season in its 37-year history.
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