NEWARK, NJ—The 2013 women's volleyball season gets underway for NJIT Wednesday at 7 pm, when the Highlanders entertain Saint  Peter's in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
Wednesday's tilt is the season and home opener for the Highlanders. Saint Peter's comes west to Newark from Jersey City with an 0-3 mark, having dropped three straight-sets matches over Labor Day Weekend in the Lehigh Classic, falling to Rhode Island, host Lehigh, and New Hampshire. NJIT swept Saint Peter's when the teams met last October 2.
 
The Highlanders who finished last season at 12-16 overall will have new looks on the schedule and on the court in 2013. From 2009 through 2012, they were part of the Great West Conference, which ceased to exist on July 1, 2013. Women's volleyball was one of the stronger sports in the Great West, which had member institutions in areas where girls' volleyball is strong in high school and club competition.
 
Last season, NJIT had eight regular season conference matches (3 wins, 5 losses) and split two Great West postseason tournament matches. This year, the Highlanders' schedule as a Division I Independent is much more regional, with no contests farther south or farther west than Baltimore.
 
This season, in addition to its home matches, NJIT will play in three tournaments, the first host by St. Francis Brooklyn, the second hosted by UMBC, and the third hosted by Central Connecticut. St. Francis and Central are members of the Northeast Conference and UMBC is part of the America East Conference.
 
JR Martins begins his fifth season as head coach, which followed three seasons as the top assistant with the women's and men's programs. The team's 17-11 record in JR's first season was the best in NJIT's Division I era (began in 2006) and last season's 12 wins were the most for the program since that 17-victory season.
 
Graduation took away three key players—Renata Pandolfo, the 2012 Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, who ranked sixth nationally in digs per set; Janet Snell, the team's top hitter (306 kills in 2012) and an All-GWC second-team honoree; and, setter Anna Mercado, who was first choice on the team at that vital position her final three seasons.
 
Apart from Snell, the next seven kills leaders from 2012 are back on the 2013 roster, led by junior Camilla Tinari (276 kills) and sophomore Danica Vukotic (242 kills). Danica, a native of Serbia who began her US college career in 2012 along with her twin sister Nina Vukotic, was NJIT's representative on the All-Great West Conference first team. Danica also made the GWC all-newcomer team. Julia Colombo, a senior this year, topped last year's team in attack percentage (.279) among players with more than 50 kills.
 
Junior Valerie Carroll, the 2012 blocks leader, with 85, is back along with six of last year's top seven leaders in total blocks. Danica Vukotic is the top returnee in digs (142), followed closely by Tinari (138). They ranked fourth and fifth, respectfully, last year.
 
This year's squad does not have any true freshmen (2013 high school graduates), but has five student-athletes who attended NJIT in 2012-13 and practiced but did not play, thus retaining a year of eligibility for competition.
 
All home volleyball matches are slated for live coverage on www.njithighlanders.com, with live streaming video and live real-time statistical updates. Most away matches will include live coverage provided by the respective home team, as well.