Box Score
LORETTO, PA: Columbia came back from a 2-1 deficit in sets to nip New Jersey Institute of Technology, 3-2, in the opening round of the Red Flash Invitational Friday night at the DeGol Arena.
The widest margin in any of the five sets came in the first frame, won by Columbia, 25-17. NJIT pulled even with a 25-23 win in the second set and went back up, 2-1, with a 25-20 win in the third. However, Columbia knotted the match, 2-2, with a 25-19 victory in the fourth set. Columbia then closed out the match in the deciding set with a 15-10 win.
In the deciding set, Columbia jumped out to a 4-1 lead. NJIT battled back winning the next three points – two kills by Juliana Araujo and one by Agnieszka Pregowska, which knotted the set at 4-4. Both teams went back and forth until Columbia took control of the set taking an 11-6 lead. NJIT came within four points of the Lions, 14-10, on a kill by Renata Pandolfo but Columbia's Sarah Thompson finished the match with a kill, in the Lions 15-10 victory.
The Lions were led offensively by Amalia Viti who posted a match-high 25 kills. Teammate Sarah Thompson produced a .538 hitting percentage (8 kills, 1 error, 13 attempts) while Colleen McNutt and Allyson Werner recorded seven kills apiece.
NJIT was led by four players with double-digit kills --senior Agnieszka Pregowska (15 k), Kristy Haeckel (14 k), freshmen Juliana Araujo (11 k) and Renata Pandolfo (10k).
Junior setter Erica Schultz posted a season-high 47 assists while three different Highlanders registered double-figures in the digs category. Libero Sabrina Baby notched 28 digs, Pandolfo 16, recording her first double-double of her collegiate career (10k, 16 digs) and Katrina Hornstein with 12.
NJIT built an early 5-1 lead in Game 1 but the Lions battled back to tie the game at 8-8 and then held on to a 19-17 advantage before winning the sets final six points, 25-17. Viti had a match-high 5 kills.
Game two went back and forth which included 10 ties and five lead changes. The final tie of the set was broken when NJIT's Pregowska put a kill past Columbia's defense taking a 17-16 lead. Three straight attack errors by Columbia, gave the Highlanders a 20-16 lead, as they held on, 25-23.
The Highlanders carried its momentum into the next frame, taking an early 5-3 lead on a pair of kills by Haeckel and Araujo. But the Lions won three straight points, taking their first lead of the set, 6-5. The two teams traded leads until an attack error by Columbia gave NJIT the lead at 10-9. Pregowska's kill at 22-16, opened up the biggest lead of the set, and the Highlanders took a 2-1 lead with a 25-20 victory in the third set.
NJIT up, 2-1, appeared to be in control of the match taking an 18-15 advantage when Lions head coach called a timeout to regroup. Out of the timeout, the Lions scored the next five points and outscored the Highlanders 10-1 the rest of the way, taking a 25-19 victory.
NJIT will return to action tomorrow when they face host Saint Francis (PA) at 1pm and wrap up play against Akron at 3pm.
(play by play courtesy Saint Francis (PA) Athletic Communications)
