PROVIDENCE, RI – Coming back to the Wildcat Center after nearly a month away was just what the Johnson & Wales University men's volleyball team needed. The Wildcats swept both matches on the second day of the JWU Invitational Tournament to complete a perfect 4-0 weekend. JWU started the day with a strong 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-17) victory against York College then topped New Jersey City University 3-1 (25-22, 26-28, 25-13, 25-10).

JWU Record: 10-11

JWU Statistical Leaders:
Alex Seda: 20 Kills, 4 Digs, 2 Aces vs. York
Raheem Malone: 10 kills, .769 hitting % vs. York
Cameron Ponce: 19 Assists, 9 Kills, 8 Aces vs. York / 18 assists, 13 digs 8 kills vs. NJCU

Of Note:
In the opener it was Johnson & Wales' serving that was the difference. Setters Cameron Ponce (San Jose, Calif.) and Jason Rhee (Aurora, Colo.) accounted for all 13 aces, while the Cardinals only had two. Neither defense was much of a presence as the Wildcats hit .340 and York was close behind at .323.

Having his best match as a Wildcat was freshman Alex Seda (San Juan, PR) as he produced a season-high 20 kills to go along with four digs. Also playing well offensively was senior Raheem Malone (St. Thomas, USVI) as he had a season-high 10 kills and was nearly perfect, hitting 10-of-13 (.769).

The last match of the day started out rough for both teams from the service line. The Wildcats and Gothic Knights combined for 40 missed serves. After dropping the second set, 28-26, JWU's settled down at the service line and rolled to victory. Five-point runs by Kyle Eva (Charlestown, RI) and Rhee staked JWU to an 18-7 lead in the third set. In the fourth set, Jackson Steigerwald (Penfield, NY) ran off four points and Ponce went on a five-point run to jump out to a 17-7 advantage.

It was a balanced offensive attack as five different JWU players had eight kills each. Ponce was two kills shy of his second trip double of the year with eight kills, 18 assists and 13 digs as well as three blocks. Eva led the blocking effort with five rejections to go along with eight kills. Junior Kyle MacKnight (East Northport, NY) recorded eight kills and nine digs.

Up Next:
The Wildcats play their final non-conference game of the year on Tuesday when they travel to Regis for a 6 p.m. contest.