EASTON, PA—The NJIT women's volleyball team completed back-to-back wins for the first time this season, defeating Lafayette, 3-1, in Lafayette's Kirby Sports Center Tuesday night.

NJIT was 17-11 a year ago. But only two of the seven players who appeared in at least 80 matches for that team are back. Not surprisingly, wins have proven harder for the inexperienced Highlanders to come by.

However, the young squad has won three of its last five matches, including Tuesday's 25-10, 25-27, 25-15, 25-23 victory at Lafayette.

Janet Snell and Baaba Hughes, the only senior on the Highlanders, led the attack with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively.

Sophomore Anna Mercado had 22 assists and a match-best best five service aces, as NJIT dominated that phase of the game, 15-6. Freshman Katie Bartlett added four aces and Snell had three.

Two Highlanders had double-figures in the digs column, led by Janet's sister, Audrey Snell, who tied for match honors with 14 digs. Bartlett finished with 10 digs.

NJIT was also stronger than the Leopards blocking, owning a 7-4 team advantage. Sophomore Fernanda Lima had five total blocks for the Highlanders, three solo and two assisted.

Lafayette got 11 kills from Katrina Racibarskas, plus 10 from Kaitlynn Zoller. Two players shared the setting duties, with 17 assists for Sarah Frohnapfel and 16 for Molly Belcher. Racibarskas had four of the six Leopard aces, as well.

Three Leopards posted double-figures in digs. Mackenzie Larsen led the way with 14, while Zoller had 12 and Belcher 10.

Lafayette's block leader, Alana Taylor finished with three block assists.

NJIT won the first and third sets easily, 25-10 and 25-15, while Lafayette took the second set in a nail-biter, 27-25. That set was tied at 23-23, 24-24, and 25-25, before the Leopards won with the last two points of the set.

The clinching fourth set was close, too. NJIT took an early 7-3 lead and later went up, 10-4. But Lafayette hung in and closed to within three points six different times before using a 5-2 run to knot the score at 18-18.

Two Lafayette errors, followed by a Bartlett ace gave the Highlanders a cushion that never went under two points the rest of the way.

NJIT is 4-11 on the season, while Lafayette falls to 4-14.

NJIT will host Seton Hall in another non-conference match on Thursday at 7 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

Sabrina Baby, a 2010 NJIT graduate, will be honored before that match with a presentation of her awards as the 2009 NCAA Division I national statistical champion in digs per set and as NJIT's first Division I Academic All-American.

Sabrina, who resides in Brazil, will be in the area to receive an award earlier in the day as the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey Outstanding Student-Athlete of 2009-10.