Bucknell Box
Saint Peter's Box
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – NJIT was named 2009 Terrier Invitational Champions Saturday, taking down Bucknell and Saint Peter's by identical 3-0 scores.
Leading the way for NJIT was freshman middle Fernanda Lima grabbing Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament. Also recognized on the all-tournament team was senior setter Erica Schultz and sophomore outside hitter Renata Pandolfo.
Lima collected nine total blocks in the two-day tournament. Schultz piled up 89 assists and 23 digs while Pandolfo notched 29 kills and 35 digs.
In game one Saturday afternoon, the NJIT women's volleyball team recorded their second victory of the season sweeping Bucknell 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-16) in three straight frames.
NJIT's sophomore outside hitter Pandolfo led the offense notching nine kills to go along with 12 digs. Senior Katrina Hornstein combined for seven kills and nine digs.
Also contributing to the Highlanders offense was Kristy Haeckel and Baaba Hughes each posting seven kills apiece.
Leading on the defensive side was senior libero Sabrina Baby recording a match-high 22 digs. Senior setter Schultz tallied up a match-high 30 assists.
Bucknell's Kaitlin Segal recorded a double-double with a match-high 11 kills and shared team-high honors with Kyleigh McAhren with 14 digs.
Set one started off with the score being tied on several occasions and it was not until the score was in the mid-teens that the Highlanders had the extra push to take control with a 25-21 win.
The second frame started out as a similar pattern to set one. NJIT scored seven straight points pulling ahead 19-12 on an attack error by Bucknell. The Bison turned around and registered seven points of their own pulling within one point of NJIT, 24-23, when Interim Head Coach JR Martins called timeout to regroup his team. NJIT won the set on the next point on an error by Bucknell.
NJIT hit .226 in the final frame led by Pandolfo with four kills on seven attempts with no errors as the Highlanders closed out the match 25-16.
In the second match of the day for the Highlanders, Hughes keyed the attack, producing a .348 hitting percentage on 11 kills and three errors in 33 attempts. Pandolfo registered 10 kills and three errors in 33 attempts.
Schultz posted 28 assists as Baby had a match-best 18 digs while Pandolfa had 14. Freshman Fernanda Lima posted three blocks assists for the Highlanders.
Saint Peter's offense was led by Chloe Rost and Corey Haynes with six kills. Setter Shannon Doheny shared match-high honors with NJIT's Schultz with 28 assists.
Kim Mendoza had 13 digs for the Peahens.
NJIT's next scheduled match is on Wednesday, September 2 at the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center when the Highlanders host Fairleigh Dickinson at 7pm.
