Jersey City, NJ - The John Jay men's volleyball team saw its six-match win streak snapped as the Bloodhounds dropped both their matches on Saturday afternoon at the NJCU Tri-Match, falling 3-0 to both Misericordia and the host New Jersey City University (NJCU) Gotchic Knights.
 

With today's outcome, the Bloodhounds fall to 11-8 on the year.

Match 1 | John Jay 0, Misericordia 3

The Bloodhounds rallied in the first set from an eight-point deficit but couldn't complete the comeback as John Jay dropped their first match of the day to the Cougars, 3-0 (22-25; 21-25; 15-25).

Nick Fuentes led the way with eight kills and seven digs. Logan Ramos added seven kills and four digs.

Misericordia was paced by Isaac Drake, who finished with 11 kills, hitting .455 while adding two digs. Jacob McCue notched seven kills and three total blocks.

The Bloodhounds trailed 5-0 before Adam Bainey registered a kill. John Jay fought back, cutting the deficit down to three, 14-11, off a kill by Ramos. Misericordia sparked an 8-4 run to push its lead to 22-15 before John Jay responded with a 7-2 run to get to within two, 24-22 on a kill from Bainey, before Drake clinched the set with a kill.

In the second set, the Bloodhounds found themselves ahead, 7-6, following a block from Quez Martin, an ace from Fuentes, and a kill by Ramos. Misericordia embarked on an 11-3 run, upping its lead to 19-12 on a kill from Jackson Fehnel. The Bloodhounds continued to fight back, trailing 22-21 on a kill from Fuentes, but the Cougars closed out the set with three straight points, including a kill from Drake.

John Jay commenced the third set tied 5-5, but Misericordia took control, limiting the Bloodhounds to just 15 points in taking the set and the match. Misericordia used a decisive mid-set run to pull away from John Jay and secure the third set, 25–15. 

The Cougars struck first with a kill from Drake off a set by Evan Schmidt, but the Bloodhounds answered quickly as Steven Ajazi evened the score with a kill from Daniel Gonzalez Verdejo. The early exchanges remained tight, with both teams trading points through the opening rallies. A kill from Brandon Roman and an attacking point from Adria Galve helped John Jay keep pace as the score sat tied at 5–5.
 

Misericordia began to seize control shortly after. Capitalizing on several attack errors and converting offensively through Drake, the Cougars strung together a 5–0 run to stretch the advantage to 10–5. John Jay briefly halted the momentum with a kill by Attila Nerette from Maxwell Law, but Misericordia continued to dictate play with strong serving pressure and timely blocks.

A service ace by Schmidt and a block by Noah Reen and Jacob McCue pushed the Cougars' lead to 14–7, forcing John Jay to search for answers offensively. The Bloodhounds managed to generate points from Galve and Ajazi midway through the set, including an Ajazi kill from Gonzalez Verdejo that cut the deficit to 15–10, but Misericordia quickly responded.

Back-to-back service aces by McCue extended the Cougars' advantage to 18–10, effectively breaking open the set. Despite late points from Ajazi and a few Cougar service errors that allowed John Jay to inch closer, Misericordia maintained a comfortable margin down the stretch.

The Cougars closed out the set with a kill by Peter Breski to secure the 25–15 victory and complete the sweep.

Match 2 | John Jay 0, NJCU 3

The John Jay College men's volleyball team battled conference rival New Jersey City University on Saturday evening but ultimately fell in straight sets to the Gothic Knights.

New Jersey City used an efficient offensive performance and strong play at the net to control the match, finishing with 36 kills on a .291 hitting percentage while also recording 15 total blocks. John Jay totaled 32 kills in the contest and finished with 35 digs defensively but struggled to consistently slow the Gothic Knights' attack.

Nick Fuentes led the Bloodhounds offensively with 11 kills, while Adam Bainey added seven kills on a .267 hitting percentage and contributed three block assists. Logan Ramos chipped in with six kills and five digs to provide additional scoring support for John Jay.

Running the offense was setter Jimmy Thinlay, who registered 22 assists while also contributing nine digs in an all-around effort.

Defensively, libero Micah Rossman anchored the back line with a team-high 10 digs, helping extend several rallies against the Gothic Knights' attack.

New Jersey City was paced by a standout performance from Amaru Perales, who led all players with 13 kills on a .591 hitting percentage. Mike McGehee added nine kills while Victor De Souza finished with six kills and a .455 hitting percentage.

NJCU setter Alex Casais directed the offense with 31 assists as the Gothic Knights consistently found success in transition.

The Gothic Knights set the tone early in the opening frame, building momentum behind the efficient attacking of Perales and McGehee. NJCU used quick offensive sequences and timely blocks to create separation midway through the set.

John Jay attempted to counter with kills from Fuentes and Bainey while Ramos added points from the outside to keep the Bloodhounds within striking distance. Thinlay distributed the ball effectively across the front row, helping John Jay generate offensive opportunities from multiple attackers.

Despite the push from the Bloodhounds, the Gothic Knights maintained control of the set with their balanced attack and strong play at the net to secure the opening frame.

The second set saw John Jay respond with improved defensive play as Rossman and Thinlay combined for key digs to keep rallies alive. Fuentes continued to lead the offensive effort while Martin and Bainey provided additional contributions at the net.

However, NJCU continued to operate with strong offensive efficiency. Casais orchestrated the Gothic Knights' attack with precision, spreading the ball across multiple hitters as Perales and De Souza continued to find openings in the Bloodhounds' defense.

John Jay attempted to keep pace late in the set, but NJCU maintained its advantage and closed out the frame to move ahead two sets to none.

Facing a two-set deficit, the Bloodhounds battled in the third frame as they looked to extend the match. Fuentes and Ramos delivered key points early, while Bainey added offensive pressure from the middle.

John Jay also generated several strong defensive plays at the net with block assists from Fuentes, Bainey, and Brandon Roman as the Bloodhounds attempted to slow the Gothic Knights' attack.

Despite the effort, NJCU remained consistent offensively. Perales continued his dominant performance while McGehee added timely kills during the latter stages of the set.

The Gothic Knights ultimately closed out the third set to complete the straight-set conference victory.

The Bloodhounds will head to CCNY on Tuesday evening.