St. Davids, PA - The John Jay men's volleyball team showed resilience and competitiveness throughout a challenging Friday slate but came up short in both contests, dropping a straight-set decision to Widener (3-0), before falling to the host Eastern (3-1). 

John Jay moves to 12-10 overall following Friday's decisions. 

Match 1: Widener 3, John Jay 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23)

In the first match of the evening, John Jay continued to compete point-for-point but could not overcome Widener's efficiency in key moments. 

Widener took control early in the opening set, but the Bloodhounds mounted a late push behind Bainey and Ramos to close within 24-20 before falling, 25-20.

The second set featured one of John Jay's most balanced offensive efforts, totaling 14 kills. Trailing late, the Bloodhounds made a push with consecutive points from Bainey and Brandon Roman to cut the deficit to 24-22, but Widener held on to take a 2-0 lead.

In the third, John Jay again found itself within striking distance late. Roman delivered a key kill to bring the score to 24-23, but Widener capitalized on a final point to complete the sweep.

Bainey led the Bloodhounds with 11 kills, while Ramos added nine and Roman contributed five. Jimmy Thinlay recorded 16 assists, with Daniel Gonzalez Verdejo adding 11. Defensively, Rossman led with seven digs.

Widener was paced by Stephen Marquis with 11 kills, while Jason Sandberg totaled 30 assists and Josh Akinwale anchored the net with six blocks.

Match 2: Eastern 3, John Jay 1 (27-29, 25-21, 23-25, 25-17)

The Bloodhounds opened the day with a tightly contested battle against Eastern, highlighted by a thrilling first set and a strong third-set response.

John Jay came out firing in the opening frame, recording 19 kills on a .300 hitting percentage in a back-and-forth affair. Late service aces from Quez Martin and Adam Bainey gave the Bloodhounds momentum, but Eastern edged the set 29-27 behind clutch play from Kaodi Wokocha.

Eastern carried that momentum into the second set, taking advantage of John Jay miscues while hitting .206 to secure a 25-21 win and a two-set lead.

Facing a sweep, the Bloodhounds responded in the third. Behind timely kills from Brandon Roman and Logan Ramos, along with a strong service run from Adria Galve—who finished with four aces—John Jay rallied to claim the set, 25-23.

However, Eastern controlled the fourth from the outset, hitting an efficient .435 while using its size at the net to dictate play. Led by Landon Mattiace's eight blocks, the Eagles pulled away for a 25-17 win to close out the match.

Ramos and Roman paced the offense with 13 kills apiece, while Galve added 12 kills and four aces. Jimmy Thinlay dished out 36 assists and added 15 digs for a double-double, and Micah Rossman chipped in 13 digs.

John Jay returns to the courts on Monday evening as CUNYAC play resumes, with the Bloodhounds traveling to The Bronx to tangle with the Lehman College Lightning.

First-serve is set for 6:00 p.m.