Box score

HOUSTON, TX—Houston Baptist won a closely-contested Great West Conference women's volleyball match Saturday afternoon, topping visiting NJIT in three close sets (25-19, 28-26, 26-24).
 
With Saturday's win, HBU reached 20 wins in a season for the 14th time in 17 years under coach Kaddie Platt. The Huskies are 20-8 overall and 6-3 in the Great West. They also defeated NJIT in Newark, 3-1, on September 29.
 
NJIT, which had won three in a matches in a row, including 3-2 at Texas-Pan American in the first leg of this weekend's conference road trip, is 10-16 overall and 3-6 in the Great West.
 
On Saturday, HBU got a match-best 18 kills and plus five blocks (1 solo, 4 assists) from senior middle blocker Jolie Graf, who accounted for 21 individual points. Isis Gardner added 11 kills and finished with a match-leading six block assists. Caiti Wenger added five block assists, as the Huskies dominated that part of the game, with 11 team blocks to just three for the Highlanders.
 
Setter Victoria Weatherly triggered the home team's attack, with 44 assists in the three sets. Freshman Haley Hoffman served three aces, leading the Huskies to a 6-3 lead in that department.
 
The floor defense found Houston Baptist with four players producing double-figure digs totals, paced by a match-best 22 from senior libero Courtney Whittleman.
 
NJIT's two top outside hitter, Renata Pandolfo and Janet Snell, each had double-figures in kills, with low error totals. Pandolfo had a team-best 17 kills and only two errors in 42 swings for a strong .357 hitting percentage and Snell had 14 kills against just four errors. However, no other Highlander had more than seven kills and only three kills came from the middle.
 
Anna Mercado finished with 37 assists and she was one of three NJIT players with one assist apiece.
 
Four NJIT players generated between 11 and 16 digs. Cathy Leung was tops, with 16 digs, followed by Janet Snell (14), Audrey Snell (13), and Mercado (11). Gretchen VonKoenig's three blocks (1 solo, 2 assists) led NJIT's defense at the net.
 
Houston Baptist took control of the opening set early, jumping out 5-0 and leading 20-11, before NJIT went on a 5-2 run that closed the deficit to 16-22, but the Huskies coasted to the 25-19 win.
 
The next two sets required extra points to find the winner, as the second set went to 28-26 and HBU needed a 26th point to clinch the third set and the match.
 
In the close second set, the Highlanders led 10-6, 19-16, 22-19, and 24-22, but could not close the deal. Down 22-24, HBU fought off set point with a three-point spurt. Facing elimination, the Highlanders tied the set at 25 on a kill for Pandolfo. The teams then traded points before Heather Leverton of the Huskies settled matters with consecutive kills to make it 28-26.
 
Houston Baptist opened the third set 8-2, but the Highlanders got back in with a 6-2 run of their own. The Huskies stretched their lead back to 17-12, before NJIT rallied again, 7-2, and trimmed the deficit to 18-19.
 
Two more Huskies points made it 21-18 for the eventual winners, but another push by the Highlanders produced five straight points, three on Janet Snell kills, and a 23-21 lead.
 
Another Janet Snell kill gave NJIT a 24-22 lead, but as in the second set, the Highlanders could not finish off the third set, as HBU spurted for four unanswered points to win the set 26-24.
 
NJIT will conclude the regular season with a home Great West Conference match on Saturday, November 12. The Senior Day contest against Chicago State will begin at 2 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.