NEWARK, NJ—Visiting Robert Morris edged NJIT in women's volleyball, 3-2, Saturday, as the Colonials held off the Highlanders in the fifth, and deciding set, 15-10, in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
NJIT (6-15) was home Saturday afternoon after playing 19 of its first 20 matches on the road. The Highlanders took the first set from RMU, 25-21. But the Colonials (7-13) roared back to take the next two sets comfortably, 25-13 and 25-18. Facing match point down 23-24 in the fourth set, NJIT scored the last three points to pull out the fourth set, forcing a fifth. Trailing by six points as late as 8-14 in the fifth set, NJIT fought back for a pair of points before succumbing, 10-15.
 
Victorious Robert Morris was led on the attack by three players—sophomore Madelyn Betts (12 kills), senior Becky Jay (11 kills), and junior Kristin Thompson (11 kills). Jay and Thompson were the two most efficient hitters in the match, as Jay made just one error in 21 swings, notching a .476 hitting percentage, while Thompson had two errors in 22 swings, good for a .409 hitting percentage.
 
NJIT had four players in double-figures for kills, but the Highlanders were far less efficient, making 40 errors, double the visitors' total. Only in in its best set, the first, was NJIT efficient on the attack, hitting .279 (18 kills, 6 errors, 43 attempts).
 
Danica Vukotic, who turned 21 years old on Saturday with her twin sister and NJIT teammate Nina Vukotic, finished with a match-high 17 kills. Fran Edmondson and Kat Janssen each had 11 kills and senior Valerie Carroll chipped in 10 kills from the middle.
 
Freshman setter Alyssa Armada posted a match-best 47 assists for NJIT, while RMU setter Hannah Hoffman finished with 44 assists.
 
NJIT had a 5-2 edge in service aces, paced by two from the senior from New Zealand, Edmondson.
 
On floor defense, each team had four players with double-figure totals in digs. Danica Vukotic's 12 digs led the Highlanders, followed closely by Nina Vukotic (12) and seniors Katie Goswick and Camilla Tinari with 11 digs each.
 
Melissa Bograd, the senior libero,  topped the Colonials with 14 digs, while the setter Hoffman had a double-double, combining her 13 digs with her 44 assists. April Krivoniak added 12 digs for RMU and Arden Fisher, who played four sets, had 11 digs to go with her 9 kills on the attack.
 
Robert Morris had a 14-to-10 lead in total team blocks, with Thompson getting 8 (2 solo, 6 assisted) and Jay notching 5 (2 solo, 3 assisted).
 
NJIT, which did not have a solo block, got 6 block assists from the freshman Janssen, 5 from Edmondson, and 4 from Carroll.
 
Danica Vukotic and Edmondson each collected 6 kills in NJIT's 25-21 opening-set win. The Highlanders scored first and there were seven ties, but NJIT never trailed in the set.  NJIT broke a 10-10 tie on a Danica Vukotic kill and the Highlanders headed into the home stretch with a 21-17 advantage. But Robert Morris rattled off four straight points to tie before two Janssen kills sandwiched around a kill for Edmondson put the Highlanders up, 24-21.
 
NJIT never led the second set after 1-0. Robert Morris built a 10-point bulge by 18-8 and closed out the set winning 5 of the last 6 points.
 
The Colonials, who just two hitting errors in dominating the second set, made just three errors on the attack in winning the third set, 25-18. Even so, the set saw 11 ties and 8 lead changes. The Colonials took the upper hand, 19-15, on four straight points, The visitors led by at least four the rest of the way and scored the last three points of the frame.
 
The fourth set was tight, with 17 ties and 8 lead changes. In a see-saw ending, NJIT held a 23-21 advantage after back-to-back kills for Janssen, the Australian freshman. However, the Colonials took the next three points to stand on the verge of match point while holding serve. An RMU attack error leveled the score at 24 apiece and Edmondson's kill put NJIT ahead to stay. Nina Vukotic and Janssen combined for a block, delivering the set to the Highlanders, 26-24.
 
After ties at the first three points of the deciding set, Robert Morris ran off three unanswered points for a 6-3 lead. NJIT appeared to break the run with a point, but the two referees had made opposite calls and after conferring, they switched the point to the Colonials, making it 7-3 instead of 6-4. Robert Morris added another point for a 7-3 advantage before an attack error broke the run.
 
A kill by Carroll and an ace by Goswick closed the Highlanders back to within a pair of points, 6-8. But Robert Morris coach Dale Starr called a timeout and his team responded with two points and 10-6 lead. The Highlanders did not get closer than three the rest of the way and fell back 14-8. NJIT scored twice for a temporary reprieve, but lost match point on an attack error.
 
The Highlanders will go back on the road for a match in West Point, NY, at Army on Wednesday at 7 pm. But then NJIT plays 7 of 8 contests in the Fleisher Athletic Center.