Feb. 5, 2008

Box Score

EAST STROUDSBURG, PA - Leonardo Paludo and Eduardo Welter combined for 32 kills and visiting NJIT swept East Stroudsburg, 3-0, in Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division action Tuesday night.

The Highlanders, playing in the EIVA's higher-power rated Tait Division for the first time since the 2002 season, came away with a 30-22, 30-23, 30-23 win. The result left NJIT at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the EIVA Tait, while East Stroudsburg is 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Tait.

Paludo produced a match-best 18 kills, with just three errors in 28 attempts for an impressive .536 hitting percentage. Welter added 14 kills, as the two seniors from Brazil registered one more kill between them than the entire East Stroudsburg team could muster in the match.

Robert Thomas and Amobi Armstrong added seven kills apiece, while Greg Wagner picked up five kills, with just one error in six attempts for a .667 hitting percentage.

Senior co-captain Mike Nonnenmann had a match-best 43 assists to go with a match-high four service aces. Welter had seven digs and Thomas, Armstrong and Wagner all picked up two blocks, including two block solos for Wagner.

Chris Holden and Jesse Landis led the East Stroudsburg attack with eight kills apiece and Josh Hobson had 26 assists. RJ Roth finished with six digs and Holden had a match-high three blocks (one solo, two assists).

The team blocking was nearly even (5 blocks for NJIT to 4.5 for the Warriors) and the Highlanders had a 6-2 advantage in service aces.

The fate of the Highlanders and East Stroudsburg were linked closely the previous two seasons.

In 2006, East Stroudsburg was 10-2 in the EIVA Hay Division, which was good for first place and promotion to the Tait Division for the following season. NJIT finished second in the Hay with an 8-4 divisional record and the difference between the two teams in the standings was the head-to-head two-match sweep by the Warriors over the Highlanders.

In 2007, East Stroudsburg moved up to the Tait and NJIT stayed in the Hay. Nevertheless, the teams played two matches that did not count in the EIVA standings.

The teams split those regular season matches, with NJIT winning at home, 3-2, and East Stroudsburg winning at home, 3-0, on April 11. The Highlanders, meanwhile won the 2007 Hay crown with a 9-1 divisional record.

On April 18, the teams met in East Stroudsburg for an EIVA playoff match and the Warriors took the match, 3-2, ending NJIT's season.

This season NJIT and East Stroudsburg are both in the Tait Division, so their two matches will count in the standings and the Highlanders drew first blood with Tuesday's win.

Next for the Highlanders is a non-conference match at home on Saturday at 3 pm against Lees-McRae in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.