Bajor’s Big Night Not Enough as Men’s Volleyball Falls to #1 Stevens

JERSEY CITY, NJ – The New Jersey City University men’s volleyball team played a strong game against the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) No. 1 team on Wednesday night, February 1, at home at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC). ) Division III National Poll, Stevens Institute of Technology. The Gothic Knights fought hard and put up strong runs in every set, but eventually fell 0-3 (25-18, 25-16, 25-17) to the top-ranked Ducks.

NJCU (1-2) stayed with Stevens (9-1) in every set starting in the first as the home team was just one behind at 12-11. Unfortunately, a 7-2 run extended the score to 19-13 before the Ducks took a 1-0 lead. The second set started hard for the Gothic Knights as Stevens took a 12-4 lead. However, head coach Carlo EdraThe squad was regrouped briefly and halved the lead to 12:8. The Ducks later went up nine before winning the set 25-16. Jersey City controlled the third and final set for much of the first part, holding a slim lead to the point where the home team was 10-8 ahead. However, a 10-3 run from Stevens turned the score around, making it 18-13 before the nation’s best team ended the game with a 6-1 run to make it 25-17 and 3-0.

Highlights:
– Senior co-captain opposite James Bajor (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) had a very strong night, ending with a match-high of 11 kills and just five penalties on 28 swings (0.214 hit percent). He also added eight excavations and one block.
– Senior outside hitter Leo Ferrari (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) finished with eight kills, six digs, two aces and a block.
– Junior outside hitter Mahmud Serour (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) scored five kills, an ace, a block, and two digs.
– Elderly libero Daniel Esteva (Union, NJ/Union) led all players with the best 10 digs.
– Both NJCU Middles, Senior Co-Captain Brandon DaSilva (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) and second graders Nate Aguilar (Kearny, NJ/Kearny)done with one pair of blocks each.
– Rookie setter Alex Casais (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) led NJCU with 24 assists to go with two digs, a block and a kill.

Next:
Jersey City returns for its first tri match of the season at the JMAC on Saturday, February 4th. NJCU meets New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Kean University first at 11:00 a.m. The Cougars then take on freshman program The College at Old Westbury at 1:00 p.m. The Gothic Knights end the day with a 3:00 clash against the same first-year Panthers.