PHOENIX—Senior Fran Edmondson recorded a match-high 17 kills, leading NJIT to 3-0 sweep over UMass Lowell in the first match of the day for the Highlanders Saturday at the Grand Canyon Tournament at Antelope Gymnasium.

The Highlanders won in straight sets, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-18, improving to 13-21 on the season with one match remaining on the schedule, while UMass Lowell drops to 3-29 overall.

Edmondson posted her match-best 17 kills on 28 swings with just three errors for a .500 hitting percentage in the victory for the Highlanders.  Classmate Valerie Carroll added 9 kills, while twin sisters Danica Vukotic and Nina Vukotic, contributed 6 and 5 kills, respectively.

Freshman setter Alyssa Armada put up a match-high 34 assists and Danica Vukotic led the Highlanders defensively with a match-best 12 digs.  Nina Vukotic and senior libero Camilla Tinari logged 8 digs apiece.

NJIT held a 7-to-5 service ace advantage, paced by Armada's 3 aces, followed by Tinari with two.

UMass Lowell got 10 kills apiece from freshman Masha Yelsukova and senior Ella Merrill.  Junior setter Kylee Chun piled up a team-high 21 assists, while sophomore Megan Young posted 7 digs.

The River Hawks scored the opening 3 points for an early lead in the first set.  The Highlanders rallied back for an 8-8 tie on a block assist by Shani Leacock and Armada.  The teams traded points up until the early teens, with the River Hawks holding a 13-11 advantage.  The Highlanders answered with a 6-0 spurt to pull ahead, 17-11, and never looked back, taking the first frame, 25-20.

NJIT led early in the second set, 8-3, and later pushed its lead up to 7, 12-5, after the Highlanders scored 7 consecutive points.  The River Hawks answered the Highlander run with a run of their own that trimmed the deficit to two, 11-13, on a 6-1 spurt.  NJIT would hold at least a 3-point advantage until 22-20 after 3 straight points for the River Hawks.  After a timeout by the Highlanders, the River Hawks pulled to within one, 21-22, but the Highlanders closed out the set on a 3-1 run and took the second set, 25-22.

In the final set, there were four ties and two lead changes with the Highlanders leading from 7-6 on to clinch the match 25-18. 

NJIT will close out the 2014 season against host Grand Canyon at 4pm.