Men's Volleyball Collides With NJCU and Mount Saint Vincent

RIVERDALE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team suffered a pair of Skyline Conference setbacks falling in straight sets to New Jersey City University and Mount Saint Vincent on Saturday morning at the Peter Jay Sharp Center.

The Basics

• Final Score (Match 1): New Jersey City 3, St. Joseph's 0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-22)
• Final Score (Match 2): Mount Saint Vincent 3, St. Joseph's 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-15)
• Records: New Jersey City (11-12, 5-4 Skyline), Mount Saint Vincent (8-11, 6-3), St. Joseph's (2-10, 1-8 Skyline)
• Date: March 5, 2016
• Location: Riverdale, N.Y.
• Arena: Peter Jay Sharp Center

How it Happened vs. NJCU

• The Gothic Knights raced out to a 10-3 in the opening set and never turned back as the Bears could muster just three kills in the frame and NJCU hit .529 in coasting to a 25-11 victory.
• St. Joseph's improved the attack in set two landing seven kills in the frame, trailed by just by three points at 16-13 before NJCU pulled away and outscored the Bears 9-4 to close take a two-set lead.
• The Bears played their closest set of the match in the finale, despite being held to just three kills again. Facing match point at 25-18, the Bears erased four match points before their bid to force a fourth set came up short.

How it Happened vs. CMSV

• The hosts jumped out to a 5-1 lead off four aces from Tyler Cucullu, but the Bears fought back and after a Norrin Martinez ace and Thomas Kennedy kill leveled the set at 5-all, later taking the lead momentarily at 7-6, but the Dolphins used a 10-2 run to break open the set and never trailed again.
• The second stanza as tightly contested throughout the first half with the Bears gaining a two-point advantage at 11-9 after another Martinez ace and a Dolphin miscue, but the hosts would use another big spurt, winning 10 of the next 11 points and maintained their advantage.
• Repeating the pattern of the first two sets, the Bears remained close and trailed by one at 11-10, but CMSV asserted themselves once again and extended their lead until the finish.

For the Bears

• Thomas Kennedy led the attack with 11 kills on the day, aiding the defense with seven digs.
• Clyde Delacruz added 10 kills, highlighted by a team-high seven against CMSV, and stuffed five solo blocks.
• Nolan Parr contributed six kills and Kyle Johnson added two kills.
• Norrin Martinez dished out 25 assists to direct the offense and landed three aces.

For the Gothic Knights

• Jalen Sorrell slammed a match-high-tying six kills.
• Sheldon Coure, Ivan Prensa and Raymel Castro each contributed five kills.
• Erick Nascimento handed out 24 assists to orchestrate the balanced attack that hit .203.

For the Dolphins

• Tyler Cucullu had 12 kills and landed six aces to pace the hosts.
• Neven Skoblar chipped in 10 kills along with three aces.
• Logan Dickover handed out 28 assists and directed the Dolphins to a .343 attack percentage.

The Bear Facts

• The Bears have now lost four straight and dropped the season series to NJCU in the first two meetings between the two squads.
• Mount Saint Vincent claims the first meeting between the two squads since 2012. It is also the first meeting for Bears first-year head coach Patrick Dietz against his former squad.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears have a quick turnaround returning home to The Hill Center to host Purchase College tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a Skyline Conference tilt. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.