Box Score

NEWARK, NJ—Utah Valley dropped the first set of the match Thursday but bounced back taking the next three frames en route to a 3-1 victory over NJIT in Great West Conference women's volleyball action at the Fleisher Athletic Center.

Thursday's match was the regular season finale for both teams and the last home match for NJIT.  Both teams will compete in the Great West Conference Postseason Tournament hosted by Utah Valley on November 16 to 17.

Before the start of the match, NJIT recognized three graduating seniors Janet Snell, Renata Pandolfo and Anna Mercado.

The Highlanders won the first set, 25-21, but it was the visiting Wolverines that took the next three sets, 25-23, 25-10, 25-22 to earn the victory.
In the last meeting between the two teams in Utah on October 13, Utah Valley nipped the Highlanders, 3-2.

NJIT (11-15 overall, 3-5 in Great West) was led by freshman outside hitter Danica Vukotic with 17 kills and five digs to go along with three block assists.  Sophomore Camilla Tinari added nine kills while senior Snell combined for seven.

Senior setter Mercado piled up 20 assists for NJIT while counterpart Barbara Perru produced 13 assists.  The Highlanders took a 7-3 service ace advantage led by Mercado with three.

Defensively, libero Renata Pandolfo, who is currently ranked seventh in the country according to the official NCCA.com website in digs per set, dug-up a match-high 22 digs.  Snell followed with eight and Danica Vukotic with five.

Two Highlanders posted three blocks assists – Danica Vukotic and Valerie Carroll.

Utah Valley (15-8 overall, 6-1 in Great West) was led by Erica Nish with 12 kills followed by nine kills apiece from Katie Fritzler and Kalani Norris.  Setter Brookelyn Hall posted a double-double with 39 assists and 12 digs for the visitors.

Hall was the team-leader with 12 digs followed by libero McKenna Tait's nine and Norris and Patti Hatchs' eight digs apiece.  Lauren Stringham led the match with a total of seven blocks (all assists) followed by five apiece from Fritzler and Norris.

The lone match of the night won by the home team came in the first frame.  The Highlanders hit .290 in the set with 14 kills, five errors on 31 attempts.  Danica Vukotic had six in the set. 

After a 7-7 tie early in the set, the Highlanders rallied off four straight points for a 11-7 advantage on two service aces and a kill by Snell.  After a Utah Valley timeout, the Wolverines closed the gap to within two, 12-10, on a kill by Norris.

Both teams traded points up until, 15-12, when the Highlanders scored the next five points increasing the Highlander lead to 19-13.  The visitors did not go away so easily, as the Wolverines went on a run of their own. 

After a kill by NJIT, which made the score 22-15, the Wolverines scored the next five points pulling within two of the home team, 22-20.  NJIT sealed the set with back-to-back kills by Danica Vukotic while Carroll ended the set with a kill for a 25-21 victory.