JERSEY CITY, NJ…SUNY New Paltz had twice has many kills as New Jersey City University, and limited NJCU a -.009 team hitting percentage, as the Hawks defeated the Gothic Knights for the third time this season, sweeping a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division, 3-0 (30-17, 30-25, 30-27), on Thursday night on Charlie Brown Court at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
The Hawks won their fifth consecutive match and improve to 19-11 overall and 6-3 in the NECVA Metro Division, while NJCU falls to 18-13 and 5-3 Metro. The Hawks lead the all-time series, 14-2 and have won the last nine meetings. New Paltz also won a 3-1 match in Jersey City on February 7 and on February 26 it swept NJCU in New Paltz, NY.
Each team had plenty of success with blocking. The Hawks, as a team, combined for 12.0 blocks while NJCU rejected 9.5 blocks.
Freshman middle hitter Kevin Stross (Port Washington, NY/Schreiber) led all players with 10 kills (10-3-20), hit .350, and added six blocks (five assisted). Junior opposite Daniel Liberto (Rush, NY/Rush-Henrietta) had a .538 hitting percentage and eight kills (8-1-13) while senior outside hitter Ryan Huberty (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) landed eight kills (8-2-18, .333) and added eight digs. Senior middle hitter Jake Moore (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) finished with seven kills, eight digs and four blocks and senior outside hitter Mark Blair (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro) had eight kills and five blocks. Junior opposite Alex Jackson (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) finished with four blocks.
Sophomore setter Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood) and freshman setter Frank Ciccone (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) each delivered 24 assists in 54 attempts for a .444 percentage. New Paltz hit .218 as a team with 52 kills (52-25-124).
While NJCU had 25 kills, it was held to a negative percentage by the Hawks for the second time this season (25-26-111, -.009).
New Paltz hit .364 as a team in the opening set (16-4-33) and were never challenged, jumping out a 21-9 lead, before posting a 30-17 win.
In the second set, the Hawks had an 18-5 margin in kills and never trailed. NJCU was able to make it interesting late, cutting the deficit to three, 26-23, after NP was forced into back-to-back errors, before kills by Stross and Huberty helped seal it, 30-25.
NJCU responded by leading for much of the final set, but couldn’t find separation, leading by no more than three. The Hawks tied it at 17-17 on a Blair kill. NJCU regained a 19-18 lead on a kill, before winners by Moore and Blair, a setting error and a Stross shot made it 22-19, Hawks. New Paltz extended the run to 6-1, grabbing a 24-20 lead on an ace by Ciccone. The set remained tight, as NJCU would remain behind by one—25-24, 26-25, and 27-26—before a block by Blair made it 29-26 and he sealed the match with a kill, and a 30-27 final.
New Paltz plays Johnson & Wales University and Emmanuel College in a tri-match in Boston, MA on Saturday March 20th.
