Box Score 

BANNER ELK, NC – NJIT came up short Friday night as it dropped a 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-22) decision at Lees-McRae in Williams Gymnasium.

In the first meeting in Newark on February 18, Lees-McRae swept the Highlanders 3-0 led by Chad Mercado, who notched 20 kills and just two errors in 31 swings for a .581 hitting percentage.

Lee-McRae's Mercado and Eduardo Gonzales led the way for the home team Friday, collecting 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Juan Ramirez posted 38 assists and four blocks while John Lucas chipped in six kills and a match-high five blocks, as Gonzales posted a match-best nine digs.

NJIT's Andrei Stoyanow and Dhruv Lad each posted six kills for the visitors while setter Adam Gustafson piled up 10 assists.  Libero Brady Smith added six digs.

Lees-McRae took control early in the first set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. The Highlanders cut the lead to 16-10 on a block by Kevin Van Oss and Doug Battersby  but the Bobcats responded with a 5-3 spurt, pushing the lead to 21-13 on back-to-back Gonzales kills. NJIT battled back, trimming the margin to 23-16 before the Bobcats closed out the set, 25-16.

The Bobcats carried the momentum into the second set, taking a 15-5 lead on a block by Lucas and Ramirez. Lees-McRae would push the margin to 20-8 on a Mercado kill, and after NJIT trimmed the margin to 20-12 with a 4-0 spurt, the home team closed out the set with a 5-3 run that was capped by a Gonzales kill.

The Highlanders battled back early in the third set, taking a 7-5 lead before Lees-McRae responded, claiming a 9-7 advantage on back-to-back blocks by Ramirez and Lucas. NJIT kept the set close, knotting the score at 13-13 before Lees-McRae rallied off on a 10-4 run to take a 23-17 lead on a Lucas service ace. The Bobcats took the final set, 25-22.

NJIT will return to action on Saturday at 2pm when Pfeiffer hosts the Highlanders.

(play by play courtesy Lees-McRae Media Relations)