JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Drew University men's volleyball battled New Jersey City to a 62-point second set, but the Gothic Knights earned a 3-0 victory over the Rangers in a non-conference matchup Tuesday evening.
 
New Jersey City (1-3) won the opening set 25-17 before edging the Rangers 32-30 in an epic second set. The hosts then prevailed 25-21 in the third set to clinch the match.
 
Junior Barend Oostdam tied a career-high with seven kills to lead Drew while freshman Michael Shipman posted six kills and three blocks. Freshman Quinn Donahue handed out 26 assists, and classmate Eric Forget scooped seven digs. First-year Gavin Cantada contributed three service aces.
 
Marcus Pardasie paced the Gothic Knights with 12 kills.
 
In the first set, New Jersey City used an early 7-1 run to open up a six-point lead (12-6), and the hosts led by at least four over the remainder of the period.
 
The second set was an incredibly tight affair in which Drew's early 10-7 advantage was the largest lead of the stanza for either team. The Rangers served for set point on three occasions following a block from Shipman that made it 27-26, an ace from Cantada that put the Rangers up 29-28, and an NJCU attack error gave the visitors a 30-29 edge. But the Knights scored the last three points of the set to clinch it.
 
In the final set, a 4-0 NJCU run gave the Knights a 15-10 lead. The Rangers twice closed to within a single point, the last time coming on a kill from freshman Gio Martin that made it 22-21. But that's when the hosts closed the set on a 4-1 run.
 
The Rangers play their home opener on Thursday, when they take on Widener University at 7 p.m. in another non-conference outing.