JERSEY CITY, NJ…Ramapo College needed to defeat #14 ranked New Jersey City University in less than five games to put itself in position for an automatic bid to the 2006 NECVA Tournament, and the Roadrunners were able to accomplish that task on Wednesday night. RCNJ avoided losing to NJCU three times in one season, and likely locked up a playoff berth, by defeating NJCU, 3-1, by scores of 30-24, 28-30, 30-27, 30-22, in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Metro Division match at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.

Ramapo improves to 21-7 overall and 9-5 in the Metro Division. NJCU, which entered the match with its highest national ranking since 1997, and winners of 14 of its last 15 matches, dropped to 14-5 overall and 7-4 NECVA Metro.

In the match, junior middle DAMON LaSALLE (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) rejected six assisted blocks, and as a third-year player tied NJCU's all-time program record of 265 assisted stuffs, set by Hall-of-Famer Satsay Thongvichith from 1995-98.

With the loss, NJCU must defeat #7 ranked Stevens Institute of Technology on the road on Monday, March 20, or will have to hope it is selected to the 16-team NECVA Tournament as one of four at-large bids. If the season ended today, NJCU would own the highest quality of win index total of all eligible teams in the 35-school conference, and would earn a berth in the championship event.

NJCU has twice defeated Ramapo by 3-2 margins this season, including a divisional match in Mahwah, NJ on March 9, but with the Roadrunners taking Wednesday's match in four games, RCNJ moved ahead of the Gothic Knights in the divisional standings based on tiebreakers.

Four players reached double figures for the Roadrunners, led by freshman middle blocker Shane Donohue (Freehold Township, NJ/Freehold), who hit .390 with a match-high 21 kills (21-5-41), while finishing with 14 digs and four assisted blocks for a double-double. Sophomore outside hitter David Ross (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) collected 19 kills (19-10-42, .214) and 21 digs. Freshman middle blocker Tom Kohler (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) finished with 12 kills (12-4-41), hit .381 and added four blocks.

Also for the Roadrunners, sophomore opposite J Steinhauer (West Windsor, NJ/West Windsor North) had 16 digs and 11 kills. Junior setter Jordan Roldan (Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) came off the bench to distribute 38 assists and 12 digs in three games. Sophomore opposite Brendan Whitford (Lyndhurst, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) had 10 digs and six blocks.

RCNJ's strong defensive effort limited the NJCU attack, which has hit a collective .294 this season, to only .152.

LaSalle, who entered the match as the conference's leading hitter at .492, still hit a solid .375, with 13 kills (13-4-24), and added the six assisted blocks to tie the all-time mark. Junior opposite ROBERT GRIFFITHS (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens) had 13 kills, seven digs, and six assisted blocks, while hitting .218. . Freshman middle blocker DAVIEINGRAM (Newark, NJ/Science) tallied at least eight blocks in a contest for the third time in four matches, as he tallied nine assisted stuffs. He also hit .263 with seven kills (7-2-19).

Junior MAURICE WASHINGTON (Orlando, FL/Edgewater (FL) notched his fourth double-double of the season with 43 assists and 10 digs, and added seven blocks, including two solo. Freshman outside hitter KEVIN RODGERS (Clifton, NJ/Clifton) landed nine kills and four assisted blocks. Sophomore libero EMILIO MINIER (Bogota, NJ/Teaneck) came off the bench to provide 12 digs in three games.

In game one, RCNJ jumped out to a four point lead and managed to keep the match at that distance for much of the frame. With RCNJ leading 20-16, a combined Kohler/Whitford block and two kills by Whitford gave the visitors a 24-18 cushion, and the Roadrunners won that game by a six-point cushion.

After NJCU pulled in front early in game two, and led by four, 18-14, RCNJ battled back to tie the contest at 18-18. However, the Knights scored the next four points and took a 22-18 lead, which increased to 24-19. RCNJ again fought back to even the game at 24-24 on a Ross winner. But two lifts, followed by kills by Griffiths and Ingram made it 28-25, and combined block by Ingram and senior CARLOS DUCOS (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) increased the margin to 29-25. Consecutive block assists by Whitford and Donohue closed the gap to 29-28, before a cross-court by Griffiths sealed the game.

Things looked good for NJCU in game three, after exploding to a 7-2 and 10-3 lead. A monster kill by Griffiths made the score 15-10. But on the next play, an interference call on NJCU on a ball that was sailing out of play, proved to be the turning point of the frame, as RCNJ trailed by four (15-11) instead of six (16-10). Ramapo capitalized by uncorking a 6-1 run. Two kills by Donohue, and winners by Steinhauer, Kohler and Whitford evened the game at 16-16.

The third game remained close, and after an 18-18 tie, RCNJ twice gained three point leads, including 23-20 on a Donohue kill. NJCU battled back, and tied the game at 24-24 on a triple block by Griffiths, Rodgers, and Ingram. A winner by Kohler and backrow kill by Donohue gave RCNJ a two-point cushion, and a Whitford kill maintained a 27-25 lead. A Griffiths/Ingram block closed the gap to 27-26, but RCNJ scored three of the next four points, including kills by Whitford and Donohue to seal a 2-1 lead in the match.

A tight fourth game was even at 6-6, before RCNJ went on an 8-1 run to take control of the game, as NJCU committed three key errors. The Knights played catch-up for the rest of the game. A LaSalle kill and attack error by Ramapo allowed NJCU to pull within five, 18-13, before RCNJ called timeout. That break proved critical for Ramapo, as the visitors opened up a 6-1 spurt out of the timeout. Combined blocks by Whitford/Kohler and Kohler/Ross were sandwiched between two Ross winners, as RCNJ opened a 10-point lead, 24-14. NJCU closed to within 26-20 on a block by LaSalle, but RCNJ took the game, 30-22 to claim the match.

Before the match, NJCU honored its three seniors—Ducos, libero CARLO EDRA (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens), and former Gothic Knight outside hitter PABLO VARGAS (Union City, NJ/Emerson-Union City), who did not play this season.

NJCU is right back in action on Thursday at 6 p.m. when it hosts Hunter College in a non-conference affair. RCNJ next plays at home against Philadelphia Biblical on March 23.