NEWARK, NJ—North Dakota, the defending women's volleyball champion of the Great West Conference, stayed unbeaten in 2010 conference play with a 3-0 sweep of NJIT Thursday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Fighting Sioux (16-5 overall and 6-0 GWC) came to town and took the Highlanders by scores of 25-16, 25-14, and 25-19.

Junior Annika Smed was the kills leader for the match, finishing with 13 for North Dakota, which used 12 different players, including 10 who appeared in all three sets Thursday night.

Freshman setter Ellen Krueger collected 36 assists, while junior Devin Trefz served three aces, leading the visitors to a 9-1 advantage over the Highlanders in that category.

Two Fighting Sioux players had double-figures in digs, paced by a match-best 18 from freshman Erica Turner, while Taylor Bohannon added 10.

North Dakota also enjoyed a 5-2 team blocking advantage. Erin Joki had a block solo and a block assist, while Krueger and Ronni Mukenby each had two block assists.

On the NJIT side, Janet Snell was the kills leader, with six, while Anna Mercado had 11 assists. Julia Colombo served the only ace for the Highlanders.

On defense, the leading blocker for NJIT was Katie Bartlett (two block assists), while Mercado, the setter, picked up 12 digs, followed by Audrey Snell, with 10 digs.

North Dakota never trailed in taking the first set, 25-16. In the second set, NJIT got the first point, but the Fighting Sioux scored the next three points and never trailed again en route to a 24-14 win. The third set was the most competitive, with the Highlanders taking an early 4-2 lead. The Sioux broke a 7-7 tie and led the rest of the way, using an 8-2 spurt to turn an 11-9 lead into a 19-11 bulge.

The Highlanders (4-15 overall, 2-4 GWC) will continue conference play on Saturday with a 2 pm home match against South Dakota in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.