Box Score
 

LEBANON, IL—Visiting NJIT picked up its eighth victory of the season, sweeping a non-conference match at McKendree University, 3-0, Monday night at Statham Center.
 
The Highlanders (8-8) won in straight sets 25-23, 25-21 and 25-17, surpassing the team's overall win total from a year ago when the Highlanders finished 7-21.  The Bearcats, in their first year of men's volleyball, are 8-19 on the season.
 
NJIT junior Chris Kaepernick led the Highlanders in the kills category Monday with 10, followed by Kajetan Borecki and TJ Jurko with 8 kills apiece.  Jurko, the Highlanders redshirt sophomore, combined for a .571 hitting percentage with 8 kills, 0 errors on 14 swings, playing in two sets. Sophomore Brad Thele hit .500 playing in one set for NJIT with 5 kills, 0 errors on 10 attempts.
 
Junior Zak Robben and redshirt freshman Luke Robbe split time at the setting position for NJIT with Robben combining for 18 assists in two frames and Robbe with 16 assists in one set.
 
Junior libero Oren Zyndorf led the Highlanders with 8 digs as Kaepernick added 6 digs and two block solos.
 
The match leader in kills Monday was McKendree's freshman outside hitter Michael Polizzi with 13 kills and 9 digs.  Freshman setter Jackson MacLean posted a match-high 36 assists and added 8 digs for the Bearcats while Dustin Borenstein and Polizzi each dug-up 9 digs.
 
The first frame saw 14 ties and 7 lead changes, the final at 22 on a kill by NJIT's Ryan Thomas.  The Highlanders won the first set on a 3-1 spurt for a 25-23 victory on a kill by Thele.
 
In the second set, NJIT hit .421 (18k, 2e, 38a) led by Borecki and Jurko with 5 kills apiece.  NJIT opened up the frame with an 11-5 lead and held a comfortable six-point lead through the mid-teens, 20-14.  McKendree pulled within three of the Highlanders, 23-20, but the Highlanders held on for a 25-21 victory.
 
McKendree started the third set 4-1, resulting in an early timeout for the visitors.  The set saw its first tie at 5-5 and remained close until the Highlanders extended the lead to five, 17-12, on back-to-back errors by the Bearcats.  The Highlanders would close out the frame cruising to a 25-17 victory.
 
NJIT will continue its Spring Break trip and travel to Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri on Tuesday for a 7pm (CT) start.  The two teams faced one another early in the season in Newark, with the Lions pulling out a 3-1 victory over the Highlanders.
 
Lindewood enters Tuesday's contest on a 5-match win strea,k holding a 17-6 overall mark.