Box Score
 

NEWARK, NJ—NJIT women's volleyball matched its 2007 wins total, gaining its 13th victory of 2008 in a comfortable 3-0 win over visiting St. Francis of New York Tuesday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Highlanders overpowered the Terriers with 25-7, 25-5 and 25-10 wins in the three-set match.

NJIT, now 13-11, has six regular season matches plus the National Division I Independent Tournament still to be played as it aims for a new program standard for victories in the third season of Division I competition. NJIT was 13-24 in 2007 and it was 10-21 in 2006 in the first year facing Division I opponents.

Beyond setting a new Division I standard for the program, the next NJIT win will give the Highlanders their highest total since the 1990 team, competing in Division III, finished 23-12. The best record in NJIT's Division II era was 13-13 in 2004.

Renata Pandolfo led NJIT in kills Tuesday night, notching 10, while the St. Francis defense had no answers for either Baaba Hughes (9 kills, 1 error; .421 attack pct.) or Agnieszka Pregowska (8 kills, 0 errors; .533 attack percentage).

Pandolfo added match-best totals of 11 digs and four blocks (three solo) to the NJIT cause and Pregowska served three of the Highlanders' seven aces.

Erica Schultz, who played setter in the second and third sets, collected 23 assists for NJIT, while Danielle Thompson got nine assists in the first set.

Detelina Dimitrova and Thalita Paladino each had three kills for the Terriers and Melissa Manning was the team leader with nine digs. Dimitrova and Liliana Rodriguez picked up eight digs apiece.

Tuesday's win was the second win this season for the Highlanders against St. Francis. Back on September 5 on the Terriers' home court in Brooklyn, NY, NJIT scored its first win of the season (3-0; 25-12, 25-17, 25-13).

Next up for the Highlanders is the Halloween Classic tournament, which they will host on Friday and Saturday in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center. The visiting teams for the tournament are Bryant, Howard and Providence.

Host NJIT's first action in the classic is Friday at 7 pm against Providence. Howard and Bryant will get the tournament underway at 5 pm on Friday.