Oct. 27, 2007

Stats

NEWARK, NJ - Katrina Hornstein had a match-best 18 kills and four service aces to pace NJIT in a 3-2 win over Howard, opening day two of the NJIT Halloween Classic women's volleyball tournament Saturday morning in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

NJIT scored its 10th win of the season, matching last season's total when the Highlanders faced Division I competition for the first time. The scores against Howard were 26-30, 30-24, 30-25, 21-30 and 15-9.

The victory over Howard followed another 3-2 win for the Highlanders over Providence on Friday night, lifting NJIT to a 2-0 start in the tournament with one match left. Howard, which lost to Sacred Heart in Friday's other match, is 0-2 in the tournament.

Hornstein, the NJIT sophomore, was one of four Highlanders with double-figure kills totals. Kubra Tanrikulu had 16 kills, while Agnieszka Pregowska had 13 and Baaba Hughes finished with 12.

NJIT setter Erica Schultz produced a match-high 46 assists.

On defense, Highlander sophomore Sabrina Baby's 40 digs led all players. Her total was one shy of her NJIT Division I-record 41 digs set earlier this season against Lafayette. Baby's two-match dig total in the Halloween Classic is 78.

Four other NJIT players reached double figures in digs. Schultz finished with 18, followed by Tanrikulu (15), Hornstein (13) and Hughes had 12.

The Highlanders had an advantage on serve, producing 13 aces to nine for Howard. Six different players served aces for NJIT, led by Hornstein's four and Pregowska's three.

Howard, an exceptional blocking team, dominated at the net with 19 team blocks to two for NJIT. Kimberly Watson had 10 blocks (4 solo, 6 assisted), while Keri Partridge had nine block assists and Gazelle d'Artois had eight block assists.

On the attack, Morgan Maxwell had 14 kills and Janel James had 13 for the Bison, while d'Artois, the setter, had 42 assists and a team-best four service aces. Elyssa Lee's 27 digs led Howard, which had five players with double figures in the digs column. Providence and Sacred Heart were playing after the NJIT-Howard match, with Howard and Providence slated to meet at 2 pm. NJIT will face Sacred Heart at 4 pm in the final contest of the tournament.