NEWARK, NJ | The fifth-ranked Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball squad won the first-ever New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) men's volleyball title with a clean 3-0 sweep of the Cougars of Kean University.
The Scarlet Raiders and Cougars were set to clash last season for the first-ever NJAC Championship, however, COVID-19 derailed that match and set up the much-anticipated match this season.
#5 Rutgers University-Newark 3, Kean University 0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-17)
#5 Rutgers University-Newark (5-1, 3-0 CVC) was led by Andrew Zaleck's 18 kills. Arvind Kumar also had a spectacular night with 10 kills while hitting a match-high .643. Coming off of his first NJAC Defensive Player of the Week award, Daniel Quay did not disappoint as he led the team with four total blocks while tallying six kills. Justin Tuohy made life easy for his attackers with his pristine sets and went on to collect 31 assists in the win. Matt Nikishin was the anchor in the back line and picked up a team-high 9 digs.
Kean University (3-3, 2-2) was led by Jared Ray on the offensive end as he secured a match-high 20 kills. Zach Gerken tallied 23 assists while JD Ouellette led the team with 9 digs.
In the most competitive set of the match, the Scarlet Raiders and Cougars traded points until Rutgers University-Newark went on a 5-0 run to stretch their lead out to 15-8. Quay and Zaleck were an integral part of that run as they recorded one and two kills, respectively. Kumar capped off the run with a service ace before a service error put the ball back in the hands of the Cougars. Kean University wouldn't let the match get out of hand as they responded with a 4-0 run of their own to cut the lead down to four. From there, Kean kept it close and eventually got as close as three, 24-21, before Zaleck shut the door on the set with a kill which was assisted by Tuohy.
The Scarlet Raiders carried that momentum over from the first set into the second as they quickly jumped out to a 7-1 lead. Kumar than helped his squad further extend their lead after tallying two kills during a 4-0 run which gave the Scarlet Raiders a 9-point lead, 14-5. The Cougars tried to claw their way back into the set, however, were unable to match the Scarlet Raiders' offensive firepower as they would fall behind 2-0 in the match.
Once again the Scarlet Raiders' offensive prowess was on display as they took a 20-10 lead late in the final set. Kean attempted to make a late push to send the match into a fourth set, however, a pair of kills from Kumar capped by a kill from Zaleck secured the win for the Scarlet Raiders and extended their win streak to three.
Rutgers University-Newark men's volleyball team returns to the court tomorrow night against Kean University for another Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) showdown at 6:00 p.m. in Union, NJ.
