NEWARK, NJ—TJ Jurko notched a match-high 10 kills, leading NJIT in a three-set sweep of visiting Charleston (WV) Saturday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
 
The 25-17, 25-12, 25-20 victory lifted the Highlanders to a season record of 7-5, as they topped Charleston (2-12) for the second time this season. NJIT got its first win of the season, also 3-0, on January 18 in West Virginia against the Golden Eag;es..
 
Following Jurko in the kills department for NJIT, Chris Kaepernick had 8 kills and just one error, while Luke Robbe had 6 kills without an error on 10 swings. Kajetan Borecki, who played just the opening set, picked up 5 kills.
 
The Highlanders used two setters, with regular starter Zak Robben putting up 17 assists and freshman Cameron Tait adding 13 assists in two sets' action.
 
Raphael Anthony's two service aces for NJIT were the most in the match for either side.
 
Kaepernick, NJIT's senior from Germany, was the match's digs leader with 8, while classmate Oren Zyndorf, the libero for the Highlanders, added 6 digs.
 
Anthony, a junior middle had 3 block assists to pace NJIT in that category.

Charleston is in its first season of varsity competition and was recently announced as the newest member of NJIT's men's volleyball conference, the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (beginning in 2016). The Golden Eagles list 12 freshmen on their 14-man roster.
 
Charleston's leader were: Rajahl Moxey (7 kills); Anthony Rivera (16 assists); Krzysztof Zeba and Brian Cranston (one service ace each); Moxey (5 digs); and, ?Conner Brandland (3 block assists).
NJIT did not trail at any point in the opening two sets, but the third set, a 25-20 Highlander win, was close, with six ties and one lead change.
 
Playing his only set of the night, Borecki's five kills in the opening frame led the NJIT attack. Although the Highlanders led throughout the set, Charleston got within a point of the lead as late as 8-9 and 10-11. Following an ace by Cranston to make it 10-11, the Highlanders ran off four straight points, sparked by Borecki's kill at 12-10.
  
NJIT opened the second set 5-1 and it never got close, with NJIT getting to 19 points before the Golden Eagles reached 10. Jurko and Kaepernick delivered kills for the last two Highlander points to take the set 25-12.
 
Moxey, Charleston's freshman hitter from the Bahamas, had a match-high 5 kills in the final set and the Golden Eagles did not trail until a Jurko kill gave the home team a 7-6 advantage.
 
It took until the 17th point for NJIT to get its third-set lead above three points, with Daniel Leung and Anthony combined to block Charleston's Cranston, as the Highlanders grabbed a 17-13 lead.
 
The Highlanders eventually built a 21-14 advantage, but Charleston, continued to show a fighting spirit and trimmed the Highlander edge to 23-20 before an attack error by the visitors and then a Jurko kill delivered set and match to NJIT, 25-20.
 
The win over Charleston brought NJIT's record outside the EIVA to 7-2. However, the Highlanders are off to an 0-3 start in league play. They will get back to EIVA action on Saturday, February 28, when NJIT hosts George Mason in a 6 pm start in the Fleisher Athletic Center.