Box Score
 
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY—NJIT won the deciding set, 15-7, and came away with a 3-2 victory over host St. Francis (NY) at the Terrier Invitational Saturday afternoon at the Genovesi Center.
 
The Highlanders took the first set, 25-16, before St. Francis won back-to-back sets, 25-23 and 25-17 in the second and third frames.  NJIT rallied for a 25-20 victory in the fourth set and claimed the match with a 15-7 win in the deciding set.
 
NJIT (1-2) picks up its first win of the 2012 season while the Terriers fall to 0-4 on the young season.
 
Leading the way for the visitors was freshman Danica Vukotic, who posted a match-high 17 kills on 28 swings and seven errors for a .357 hitting percentage.  Vukotic, who hails from Backi Jarak, Serbia, was one dig shy her first career double-double with nine.  Twin sister Nina Vukotic added eight kills on 13 attempts with just two errors for a .462 hitting percentage.
 
Junior outside hitter Janet Snell produced 12 kills for the Highlanders while Anna Mercado and Barbara Peru split time at the setting position piling up 26 and 22 assists respectively in the victory.  Mercado posted eights digs and Perru added five.
 
Defensively, Renata Pandolfo notched a match-high 20 digs while Nina Vukotic led the Highlanders with four total blocks (two solo, two assists).
 
St. Francis was paced by three players who reached double-figure kill totals – Maggie Niu (13), Ali Long (11) and Narina Georgieva (11).  Leah Zitting added seven kills.
 
The Terriers setter Kelly O'Halloran recorded a match-high 29 assists followed by Kamalei Clifton's 13 assists.  Long was the only Terrier to post double-figure dig totals with 11 while O'Halloran and Georgieva each dug-up nine.
 
The Highlanders held a 7-4 service ace advantage led by Perru with two aces.  St. Francis won in the total team blocks column, 11-5, led by Niu's five total blocks and Zitting's four.
 
In the first set, the Highlanders jumped to a 13-7 lead on a kill by Camilla Tinari.  St. Francis would score the next two points for a 13-9 score, but the visitors scored the next three points resulting in a St. Francis timeout.
 
Out of the timeout, Slavica Stefanovic answered with a kill for the home team but the Highlanders pushed its lead to nine points, 19-10, after a ball handling error by the Terriers taking the set, 25-16.
 
St. Francis took the second frame 25-23 led Georgieva's four kills and the third frame 25-17 paced by Niu's five kills taking a 2-1 lead over the Highlanders.
 
The Highlanders knotted the match a 2-2 with a 25-20 score in the fourth set.  NJIT went ahead 9-5 early in the set and then again at 18-12.  St. Francis cut the lead to three, 20-17, after three consecutive hitting errors by the Highlanders resulting in head coach JR Martins to call a timeout.  NJIT would finish off the set on a 5-3 run.
 
In the fifth set, the Highlanders took control early with a 6-2 lead.  St. Francis closed the gap to within three, 8-5, on a kill by Niu.  The Highlanders fired out six straight points pushing its lead to eight, 13-5, and never looked back as the Highlanders claimed the match, 15-7.
 
The Highlanders will return to action on Wednesday at Iona.  The match is scheduled for 7pm.