Box Score
NEWARK, NJ – Junior outside hitter Meaghan Wheeler notched a match-best 27 kills for Fairleigh Dickinson as the NJIT women's volleyball team fell short of victory, dropping Wednesday's women's volleyball match, 3-2.
NJIT won its two sets comfortably by identical scores in the second and third frame, 25-17, but lost in the first set, 25-19 and fourth 25-20, before the Knights took the fifth frame, 15-12 for the match.
Fairleigh Dickinson's Wheeler, who finished with 27 kills in the marathon, got seven kills in sets two and four and combined for six in the final frame. Freshman outside hitter Chelsea Braga added 15 kills for the visitors.
Senior setter Sarah Willey posted a match-high 33 assists and Taylor Roland-Buohl added 11 in three sets.
The Knights had four players reach double-figure totals on defense. Kelsey Semler paced Fairleigh Dickinson with 22 digs followed by Deborah Hong (15), Wheeler (14) and Roland-Buohl (10).
Freshman Camilla Tinari paced the Highlanders with 16 kills and 11 digs followed by junior Janet Snell who posted a double-double of her own with 14 kills and 12 digs.
Senior libero Audrey Snell led four Highlanders with double-figures in the digs category. Snell dug-up 21 digs, Renata Pandolfo with 16, setter Anna Mercado (14), Janet Snell (12) and Tinari (11). Mercado finished with a match-high 41 assists.
In front of the net for NJIT, Julia Colombo and Fernanda Lima each posted four block assists while Tinari contributed three block assists.
NJIT jumped out to a 7-1 lead to begin the second set and pushed its lead to 14-6 on a kill by Janet Snell before the Knights called for a timeout. The Highlanders led by as many as 10, 21-11, on a attack error by the visitors. NJIT cruised to a 25-17 victory led by Pandolfo and Tinari with three kills.
The third set seesawed back and forth early until the Highlanders rallied off six straight points for a 12-7 lead. Fairleigh Dickinson closed the gap to within two, 18-16, on a kill by Braga. NJIT answered with a 7-1 run to close out the set, 25-17. Janet Snell paced the Highlanders with five kills.
In the final frame, the match saw four ties, the last at 11-11 on a kill by Pandolfo. After a timeout by the Fairleigh Dickinson, the Knights finished the match on a 4-1 run securing a 15-12 victory.
The Highlanders will return to action this weekend at the Seton Hall Invitational. NJIT will face Seton Hall on Friday at 11am and Texas Christian at 4pm before wrapping up the tournament on Saturday vs. Boston College at Noon.
