HOBOKEN, NJ—Sophomore Jabarry Goodridge notched a team-high 19 kills for NJIT as the Highlanders went the five-set distance with Stevens finally prevailing in the final set, 15-12, Wednesday evening in men's volleyball non-conference action at Canavan Arena.

The victory (23-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-21 and 15-12) for the Highlanders upped their overall record to 5-3.  Stevens, who entered the contest on a six-match win streak and ranked No. 1 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Coaches Top 15 Poll, dropped to 6-3 on the season.

NJIT, which had a .301 attack percentage (63 kills, 22 errors, 136 attempts) on the night, received a team-best 19 kills from Goodridge, including five block assists.  Goodridge had six attack errors in 44 swings, producing a .295 percentage. 

Redshirt junior TJ Jurko followed behind Goodridge in the attack with 14 kills while senior middle Ryan Thomas was the most effective Highlanders hitter on the night, combing for 13 kills and just one error in 19 attempts for a .667 attack percentage.

Junior setter Zak Robben recorded a season-high 55 assists while libero Oren Zyndorf posted a match-best 15 digs on the floor.  Thomas led the NJIT defense at the net, where the Highlanders held a 15-to-8.5 team blocking advantage.  Thomas recorded eight total blocks (1 solo, 7 assists) followed by seven from Robben (2 solo, 5 assists) and Goodridge with five block assists.

Junior Tim Ferriter led Stevens in kills with 25, while senior outside hitter Ryan Seifert contributed 11 kills.  Junior setter John Eddins paced Stevens with 49 assists.

Dylan Schlosser led the Ducks in digs with 9, followed closely by Chris Vaughn and Eddins (8).

Stevens registered 11 total service aces, with three apiece for Ferriter and Eddins.

The Ducks opened the first set on a 4-1 spurt.  The Highlanders inched their way back into the set knotting the score at 13, after a quick 3-1 run for the visitors.  Stevens went on a 4-1 spurt for a 17-14 advantage. 

After a timeout by the visitors, the Ducks extended its lead to five, 21-16.  The Highlanders fought back, cutting the deficit to one, 23-24, on a kill by Kajetan Borecki.  The Ducks would take the first set 25-23 after an NJIT attack error.

NJIT jumped out to an early 9-5 lead in the second frame.  The Ducks went on a 5-2 run cutting the Highlander lead to one, 11-10.  NJIT rallied off the next five points pulling ahead, 16-10, resulting in a timeout by Stevens.  Late in the set, Stevens battled back to within three, 18-21, and tied the set for the third time at 23 on a kill by Ferriter.  Stevens scored the final two points of the frame for a 25-23 victory.

In the third set, the frame saw 12 ties and seven lead changes.  After a block assist by Steven's Etan Bennet and Ferriter the Ducks took a 24-22 lead, forcing the visitors to take a timeout.  Out of the timeout, the Highlanders secured the win scoring three of the final four points in the set for a 26-24 victory.

NJIT took control of the fourth frame early, with a 16-7 advantage.  Stevens rallied back into the set, scoring three straight points, cutting the deficit to within three, 19-22, on a kill by Ferriter.  The Highlanders called a timeout to regroup and forced a fifth and deciding set closing out the frame on a 3-2 run for a 25-21 advantage.

In the fifth and deciding set, NJIT jumped out to a 6-3 lead forcing the home team to call a timeout.  Stevens cut the Highlanders lead to one, 8-9, on a 5-3 spurt sparked by a kill from Bennett.  After the Ducks knotted the match at 9-9, NJIT went on a 5-1 spurt extending the Highlander lead to four, 14-10, after a service ace by Thomas.  Stevens scored the next two points but a kill by NJIT's Goodridge sealed the deal with the Highlanders winning, 15-12.

NJIT will have a quick turnaround and host EIVA opponent Sacred Heart on Thursday at 7pm and Harvard two days later at 4pm. 

Sacred Heart enters the contest with a 2-5 overall record and 0-1 in the EIVA with its loss coming against Harvard, 3-1, on February 6.