UNION, N.J. (3/22/23) – Chris Mitchell and Rajheem Meulens both tallied double-digit kills as the Kean University men's volleyball team dropped a Continental Volleyball Conference and a New Jersey Athletic Conference match to #15 Rutgers-Newark, 3-2 on Wednesday evening.

Daniel Quay totaled 16 kills for the Scarlet Raiders who improve to 10-5 overall, 3-0 in the NJAC, and 3-1 in the CVC. Mitchell notched 14 kills and six digs for the Cougars who fall to 11-9 overall, 0-3 in the NJAC, and 2-2 in the CVC.

First Set

• Kean won 25-19.
• The Cougars hit a .179 percentage while holding Newark to a -.032 percentage.
• There were nine ties and one lead change.
• Kean traded points back and forth until a 5-2 run closed it out.
• Mitchell notched a kill and an ace during the run.

Second Set

• Kean won 25-20.
• The Cougars posted a .000 hitting percentage while holding Newark to a -.097 percentage.
• There were five ties and one lead change.
• After trading points to start, Kean broke things open with an 11-4 run that pushed the advantage to 23-15.
• Mitchell and Meulens combined for nine kills.

Third Set

• Newark won 26-24.
• The Scarlet Raiders hit .156, compared to a .097 percentage for the Cougars.
• There were nine ties and seven lead changes.
• Neither side held larger than a two-point lead through.
• Kean reached set point with a two-point lead before Newark scored the final four points to stop the sweep
• A Quay ace that just made it over put the momentum in favor of Newark down the stretch.

Fourth Set

• Newark won 25-24.
• Newark posted a .314 percentage, compared to a .259 percentage for Kean.
• The Cougars opened with an 11-4 run before the Scarlet Raiders answered with a 10-6 run to cut their deficit to 17-16.
• Tied 22-22, Newark closed with a 3-1 run that included three straight kills.

Fifth Set

• Newark won 15-10.
• Newark hit a match-high .500 while holding Kean to a .-154 percentage.
• The Scarlet Raiders jumped out to a 9-4 advantage and didn't look back as they captured the 2023 NJAC Men's Volleyball Championship.

Inside the Box

• Meulens totaled 12 kills and four digs.
• Brandon Millias finished with seven assists, five kills, four aces, and four digs.
• Luke Frankenfield totaled 27 assists, 15 digs, and four kills.
• Maxwell Thompson totaled eight blocks.
• Cris Naranjo collected eight digs.

Head Coach Bez Arslani and the Cougars will return to action on Friday, Mar. 24^th, hosting the Falcons of Concordia-University Wisconsin for Senior Night at 5:00 p.m.