Box Score 
 
OREM, UT—NJIT had four players' notch double-doubles Saturday but it wasn't enough as Utah Valley edged the visiting Highlanders, 3-2, in Great West Conference action at the PE Building.
 
The Highlanders won the first set 25-20 as Utah Valley went ahead 2-1 with a 25-16 and 25-13 victory in the second and third frames.  NJIT evened the match at 2-2 with a 25-21 win in the fourth frame but in the final frame, after a 12-11 lead in favor of the Highlanders, the Wolverines scored the last four points for a 15-12 win.
 
In the decisive fifth set, NJIT kept a slight cushion in the early moment, 8-5, after back-to-back kills by Fran Edmondson and Danica Vukotic, resulting in a Utah Valley timeout.  The Wolverines went on a 5-2 spurt knotting the set at 10-10, as NJIT head coach JR Martins called for a timeout.  Out of the time out, both teams traded points and the Highlanders would hold a one-point advantage on a kill by Janet Snell.  Utah Valley scored the last four points of the set for a 15-12 victory.
 
Utah Valley improves to (11-7 overall, 3-0 GWC) while NJIT falls to (8-12 overall, 1-3) after entering the Utah Valley match with two consecutive wins.
 
NJIT freshman Danica Vukotic posted a career-high 19 kills to go along with 14 digs followed by Snell, who also notched 19 kills and added 12 digs.  Sophomore Camilla Tinari produced 12 kills, 10 digs and two block assists for NJIT.
 
Middle Julia Colombo hit .357 for the match with five kills on 14 attempts with no errors.
 
Senior setter Anna Mercado piled up 43 assists and added 13 digs and a team-high two service aces.  Senior libero Renta Pandolfo posted a match-high 23 digs defensively for the Highlanders.
 
The Wolverines were led by a match-high 21 kills from Kalani Norris followed by 12 from Lauren Stringha and 10 from Lindsey Morrell and Erica Nish. 
 
Utah Valley setter Brookelyn Hall posted a match-high 44 assists, 14 digs and six block assists.  Stringham led the match with nine block assists as the home team held a 16-to-6 team blocking advantage.
 
NJIT took control of the first set jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead. Utah Valley got as close as three points, 23-20, to the visitors, as NJIT would take the first set 25-20.
 
The Wolverines held an early advantage in set two, opening the frame on a 4-1 run behind a pair of kills from Hall. The early advantage grew to 8-4 after back-to-back kills from Stringham, but eight of the next ten points went to NJIT, as the visitors grabbed a 12-10 lead. The Wolverines reclaimed the lead almost as quickly as they had surrendered it, reeling off four consecutive points.  A kill from Utah Valley's Morrell pushed the advantage to 17-12 and Utah Valley would not look back from there, closing the set on a 6-0 run to collect a 25-16 win.
 
Utah Valley picked up where it left off in set three, taking a quick 6-1 lead behind a pair of kills from Morrell and another from Norris. With the score 9-5, the Wolverines opened up what would become an 11-3 spurt, getting three more kills from Norris and a pair of block assists from Hall and Stringham.
 
NJIT built a lead late in the fourth set at 18-13 and never looked back pushing the Highlander lead to 22-17 on a kill by Snell and the visitors would finish off the set 25-21, knotting the match a 2-2, heading into the decisive set.
 
The Highlanders will return to action on Tuesday at LaSalle.  The match is schedule for 6pm.
 
Play by Play courtesy Utah Valley Media Relations