Toms River, NJ - OCC Men's Volleyball won their 5th consecutive match in straight sets to start the 2024 season, following a 3-0 shutout of the visiting Buccaneers of Atlantic Cape Community College on Monday (3/4). 

In a heated matchup between 2 of Region 19's top teams, the Vikings battled the Bucs through 2 extremely close sets to secure wins (set scores: 26-24, 25-22, 25-12), before pulling away in the 3rd to secure the victory. Ocean freshman Danny Kejda, currently ranked 4th nationally with 3.17 kills per set, blasted 7 through the 1st 2 sets tonight to keep the Bucs on their heels, while sophomore Tyler Iozzi sent up 23 assists in this match. Iozzi, who was named to the 2023 All-Region 19 and All-Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Teams in his freshman season, seems poised to repeat the feat, with his average of 10.33 assists per set placing him 2nd in the nation. Freshman Jimmy Baxes's 5 3rd set blocks stifled Atlantic Cape at key moments, erasing chances to build momentum.  

"We knew coming into the season that we had some really good players, and it's awesome to start to see some of the magic when we play as a team," remarked OCC Men's Volleyball Head Coach Madisyn Raguz. "This is only the beginning for us."

With the win, the Vikings have moved into a tie for 1st place in the Region with EPAC opponent Northampton Community College, a team they will host this Saturday, March 9 in a tri-match between the Vikings, Northampton, and Brookdale CC, beginning at 10 A.M. 

The Vikings will next return to the court on Thursday, March 7, when they host Bryant & Stratton College at 6:30 P.M.