NEWARK, NJ—NJIT freshmen Kevin Van Oss amd Christian Puszies combined for 34 kills in the Highlanders' 3-1 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Hay Division win over visiting New York University Tuesday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

NJIT won the first, second, and fourth sets and the scores were 30-26, 30-23, 26-30, and 30-24.

Van Oss had a match-best 18 kills and Puszies added 16, as the Highlanders evened their Hay Division mark at 1-1 and also scored their first overall victory of the season. NYU, 1-6 overall, is 0-2 in the EIVA Hay.

Freshman setter Matthew Lui notched a match-best 48 assists for NJIT, while Puszies, who accounted for 22 points, picked up three aces and six block assists for the Highlanders.

On defense, freshman Brady Smith made a match-best 12 digs, while sophomore Adam Gustafson, playing as a hitter for the first time this season, had three block solos and four block assists. Gustafson, who had been NJIT's setter in the previous matches, picked up seven kills. Doug Battersby, also a freshman, had eight block assists for the Highlanders.

NYU had three players with double-figure kills totals, led by Patrick Dodd's 16. Ryan Limb had 15 kills on offense and six blocks (one solo) on defense. Mike Ferragonio added 10 kills for the Violets. Trevor Salter picked up 47 assists and Jay Hayes was the digs leader, at 10.

NYU opened the first set with a 14-6 lead, but the Highlanders fought back and claimed the lead at 20-19 on a kill for Van Oss en route to the 30-26 win.

The second set was NJIT's after it broke a 4-4 tie and the third set appeared headed the Highlanders' way when they led, 20-14. But NYU rallied, aided by the insertion of Jeff Lewis, who came in when his team trailed and significantly improved his team's defense at the net, collecting three block assists in the last 10 points to help the comeback. Lewis, who stayed on in the fourth set, finished with five block assists.

The fourth set was competitive, especially early, with six ties on the way to 8-8. But NJIT went ahead to stay at 9-8 on a kill for senior Charles Bell, sparking a 7-1 run that put the Highlanders in control. NYU got back within three points three separate times, the latest at 18-21, but errors cost the Violets three of the next four points and they could not get any closer.

NJIT will host Sacred Heart at 7 pm Friday in the Fleisher Athletic Center in another EIVA Hay match. That will be a rematch from February 3, when Sacred Heart swept the Highlanders, 3-0, in Connecticut.