EIVA Website
 
NEWARK, NJ—NJIT men's volleyball players Brady Smith and TJ Jurko were named to the 2012 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) second team, the conference office announced Monday.
 
Smith, a junior from Kurtistown, HI, who plays the defense-oriented libero role for NJIT, leads the nation in digs per set (2.77) having played in 109 sets through matches as of April 23.
 
Smith combined for a team-leading 302 digs and has posted double-digit digs in 19 out of 29 matches for the Highlanders with a career-best 23 digs at George Mason on April 14.
 
Jurko, a freshman outside hitter from Weston, FL, led the Highlanders with 294 kills (3.34kps), which ranks Jurko 29th in the nation in kills per set.  He ranks third on the team with 119 digs (1.35dps) in his first season at NJIT. 
 
The rookie notched double-figures in the kills' category in 15 out of 23 matches with a career-high 24 kills vs. Sacred Heart on February 20.  Jurko posted a career-high 15 digs vs. Sacred Heart registering his first double-double of the season.  The second double-double of the season for the freshman came against No. 15 Harvard on April 13 (14k, 10d).
 
Penn State's Joe Sunder was named EIVA Player of the Year while Princeton's Cody Kessel earned Newcomer of the Year and Harvard's Brian Baise was recognized as Coach of the Year.

Three Highlanders were named to the 2012 EIVA all-Academic team: senior Adam Gustafson, sophomore Herman Kantushov and Smith.