CHESTER, Pa. - The Pride battled through four sets in their first home match of the season, but NJCU pulled away to claim a 3–1 victory. 

The Pride drop to 1-1 on the season.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Christian Wannamaker led the Pride offensively with a team-high 11 kills, adding two service aces and a block to his all-around effort. 

• Stephen Marquis finished with 10 kills while contributing two aces and a block, providing steady production at the net. 

• Jason Sandberg anchored the offense with 35 assists, while also recording two aces and six digs. 

• Quinby Dahl paced Widener defensively with eight digs and chipped in three assists to help keep the Pride in system. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Widener stayed even with New Jersey City through the early stages of the opening set, trading points and remaining tied at 5–5 after kills from Wannamaker and Dahl. NJCU began to create separation midway through the set, capitalizing on errors and a service ace to build a 9–5 advantage. The Pride briefly answered with points from Wannamaker and Anioma Njokanma, trimming the deficit to 13–11, but NJCU responded with a sustained run. Widener continued to battle late, getting kills from Akinwale, Njokanma, and Sandberg, yet the Gothic Knights closed the set on a 6–2 stretch to secure a 25–17 win. 

• Widener responded with a dominant performance in the second set, jumping out to an early 6–0 lead behind two kills from Njokanma, a service ace from Sandberg, and multiple NJCU attack errors. The Pride continued to apply pressure at the service line, with Marquis recording back-to-back aces as Widener extended its advantage to 10–2. New Jersey City briefly cut into the margin, but Widener answered with kills from Wannamaker, Sandberg, and Marquis to maintain control. Late in the set, Widener closed on a decisive run that included a service ace from Sandberg and clutch finishes by Wannamaker and Dahl, sealing a 25–14 win to even the match. 

• The third set opened tightly, but New Jersey City built an early advantage to move ahead 6–2. Widener answered with a brief run highlighted by consecutive service aces from Wannamaker and a kill by Akinwale to pull within 6–6. The Gothic Knights regained momentum midway through the set to extend the score to 12–9. Despite kills from Njokanma, Wannamaker, Dahl, and Marquis that kept the Pride within striking distance, NJCU maintained control late. Widener closed the gap to 23–19 with strong net play, but the Knights finished the set on the next point to secure a 25–19 win. 

• Widener opened the fourth set with an early kill from Wannamaker, but New Jersey City quickly seized control with an eight-point lead to take an 8–1 lead. The Pride attempted to settle in behind kills from Marquis and Akinwale, trimming the deficit to 13–8. Despite continued efforts from Marquis and Dahl to generate offense, NJCU maintained its momentum and extended its advantage late. Widener battled through the final points with contributions from Marquis and Matthew Randall, but the Gothic Knights closed out the set 25–15 to secure the match. 

UP NEXT

The Pride travel to Huntingdon, Pa. for a tournament on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24, where they will face Juniata, Hobart, and SUNY New Paltz. Match times are set for 4 p.m., 11 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.