Box score
PRINCETON, NJ—Princeton downed visiting NJIT, 3-0, in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division match Tuesday night, simultaneously clinching an EIVA postseason playoff berth for the Tigers and eliminating the Highlanders from postseason playoff contention.
Princeton, which defeated the Highlanders in three close sets on February 17 in Newark, disposed of NJIT with greater ease in the second meeting, taking the Highlanders, 30-20, 30-12, and 30-17 in just over an hour Tuesday night.
The Highlanders have been struggling since opening EIVA Tait play in early February, but their postseason hopes did not come to an official end until the second loss to Princeton. The Tigers have three EIVA Tait Division wins, while NJIT is still seeking its first divisional win with just one EIVA Tait match still to be played.
NJIT had qualified for the EIVA playoffs in each of the last three seasons, including a run to the 2008 playoff semifinals, where the Highlanders lost a hard-fought 3-2 match to the nation's 11th-ranked team, George Mason. Coincidentally, advanced to the playoff semifinals a year ago with a 3-2 triumph over Princeton in the quarterfinals, which brought down the curtain on 2008 for the Tigers.
In addition to elimination from 2009 playoff consideration, the latest loss also means that NJIT will be relegated from the higher power-rated Tait Division to the EIVA Hay Division for the 2010 season.
Princeton hit a team season-best .493 in sweeping the Highlanders in just over an hour. The Tigers finished with 43 kills and just nine errors in 69 attack attempts. Phillip Rosenberg had 11 kills and two errors, Vincent Tuminelli had 10 kills and one error, and Mike Vincent and Carl Hamming combined for 13 kills and two errors.
Setter Brandon Denham had 36 assists and Tuminelli had five service aces, leading Princeton to a 13-3 advantage in that category. On defense, Tuminelli had a match-high nine digs and Vincent's five block assists were tops in the match.
Amobi Armstrong led NJIT in kills (8) and shared the team digs lead with Chuck Richmond at six apiece. Rodrigo Correa finished with 16 assists, Ricky Duran served two of the Highlanders' three aces, and Nick Jensen had a block solo and a block assist.
NJIT will close the home portion of its season with a non-divisional match against New York University next Tuesday, April 14, at 7 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center. The Highlanders gained one of their three wins this season when they defeated NYU, 3-1, back on January 27.
The final home match will be Senior Night for NJIT, marking the last career home contests for the seniors Armstrong, Correa, and Robert Thomas, who will be recognized in pre-match ceremonies.
