Sept. 11, 2007

Box Score

NEWARK, NJ - In a women's volleyball match filled with gutsy comebacks, the final one belonged to Lafayette, which rallied for a 15-12 win in the deciding game which was good for a 3-2 match win over NJIT Tuesday night.

The visiting Leopards came into the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center and took the first two games, 30-26 and then 30-23, in what was the easiest win of the night.

On the verge of losing in a sweep, NJIT fought back for a 32-30 win in the third frame and then pulled even with a 30-25 win in game four.

Lafayette, which trailed early to start the deciding game came back and grabbed the lead for good at 13-12, before closing out the two-and-a-half-hour marathon.

Five Highlanders finished with double-figure kills totals, led by junior Agnieszka Pregowska's 16. Erica Schultz and Katrina Hornstein had 15 kills apiece, while Kubra Tanrikulu and Kristy Haeckel each finished with 13 kills.

Schultz, a sophomore transfer playing her first home match for the Highlanders, had 37 assists, while Danielle Thompson added 28. Schultz also had a team-leading three service aces.

On defense, sophomore Sabrina Baby shattered her own Highlander Division I record for digs, with 41, eclipsing her old mark of 27 digs in a match, set in four games against Hartford on September 9, 2006 and again in four games against Navy last Friday.

Four other Highlanders reached double figures in digs against Lafayette. They were: Schultz, with 23, Tanrikulu (17), Hornstein (13) and Pregowska (12). Pregowska and Wilkinson had three blocks apiece to lead the Highlander defense at the net.

Lafayette had four players with double-figure kills, paced by Cara Mulholland's match-high 18 kills. Leopard setter Megan Carter had 48 assists, while Michaela Donohue led the Lafayette defense on the floor, with 24 digs. Libero Kari Horn added 22 digs.

Maura Kelly and Kayly Elmer were the Lafayette blocks leaders, with three apiece and Karla Barbiche had a match-high four aces.

Visiting Lafayette took what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 lead, topping NJIT, 30-26 and 30-23, led by Elmer and Ainhoa Barturen's four kills each in game one and Barturen's four kills in the second set.

Facing elimination, the Highlanders took an early lead in the third game, but Lafayette appeared to take control at 21-20 and later led by as many as four points (28-24) and still led, 29-26, serving for match point.

The Highlanders fought back to tie at 29-29, went down again, 29-30, and then staved off elimination by scoring the next three points for a 32-30 win. Pregowska had six kills and Hornstein five to lead NJIT's game three offense. Hornstein sandwiched two kills around a Lafayette attack error to account for the last three points.

Having seized the momentum, NJIT played its best ball in game four and cruised to a 30-25 win, pulling even at two games apiece.

The Highlander run spilled over into the deciding game, as NJIT opened at 3-0 and built later leads of 6-3 and 7-4, before Lafayette staged its own comeback.

Down, 7-4, the Leopards got a kill and then three points on NJIT errors to grab a 9-7 lead.

But the Highlanders were not done, fighting back to a 9-9 tie and later a 12-12 tie, before Lafayette ran off the final three points of the match. Katrina Racibarskas had the kill for match point.

Next up for NJIT is a trip to Oklahoma, where the Highlanders will play in the Tulsa Invitational on Friday and Saturday.