LORETTO, PA—NJIT dropped the opening set at Saint Francis U, but the Highlanders roared back to take the next three frames and defeat the Red Flash, 3-1, in an Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association match at DeGol Arena Friday night.

Saint Francis U (4-15; 2-3 EIVA) took the opening set, 25-21, but visiting NJIT (8-8; 1-5 EIVA) came back to sweep the next three sets, 25-15, 27-25, and 25-22.

Redshirt junior TJ Jurko led NJIT with a match-high 17 kills, followed closely by 16 from sophomore Jabarry Goodridge.  Senior middle Ryan Thomas combined for eight kills on 16 attempts with two errors for a .375 hitting percentage.

Senior Zak Robben paced the Highlander attack with a match-best 44 assists and Chris Kaepernick led the match with three service aces.

Libero Oren Zyndorf and Goodridge topped NJIT with six digs apiece, while Kaepernick and Jurko added three apiece.

At the net, 6-foot-8 middle Luke Robbe topped the visitors with 6 blocks (1 solo, 5 assists) while Jurko and Goodridge added four blocks.  NJIT held a 12.0-to-6.5 team blocking advantage.

Saint Francis U junior Mike Marshman was the only player to reach double-digit kills with 14, as the  6-foot-7 opposite hit .545 for the match with two errors.

Daniel Ford piled up a team-high 27 assists in three sets while Adam Kniffen posted 10 assists in two sets.  Jack Carlson shared match-high honors with NJIT's Goodridge and Zyndorf
with six digs.

Freshman middle hitter Keith Kegerreis combined for five total blocks (1 solo, 4 assists), four kills and two service aces for the Red Flash.

Saint Francis U opened the first frame on a 13-9 advantage, but the visitors rallied back to within one, 16-17, on a 4-2 run behind two kills from Goodridge.  The Red Flash went ahead by three on two occasions – 20-17 and 23-20 before closing out the set on a 2-1 run for a 25-21 victory.

The Highlanders jumped out to an 11-6 lead and never looked back, putting together a strong hitting performance behind a .350 hitting percentage on 10 kills, three errors on 20 swings cruising to a 25-15 win.

The third frame, won by NJIT, 27-25, featured six ties and one lead change.   The Highlanders held a 24-19 lead after a kill by Thomas but the Red Flash rallied off five straight points, knotting the match at 24.  NJIT finished off the set on a 3-1 spurt for a 27-25 advantage.

In the final set, neither team led by more than three points.  The Highlanders scored four straight points late in the set taking a 23-19 lead after a Red Flash attacking error.  After a kill by
Saint Francis U, NJIT went on a 3-1 run and closed out the match on a kill by Kaepernick for a 25-22 victory.

NJIT will take on perennial EIVA champion Penn State on Saturday at 4pm.