Post Game Interview

Game Highlights

NEWARK, NJ—NJIT women's volleyball picked up its first ASUN Conference women's volleyball victory of the season, defeating visiting USC Upstate, 3-1, behind a double-double from senior Katarzyna Klocek's 18 kills and 10 digs Saturday afternoon in the Fleisher Athletic Center.

NJIT, which snaps a nine-match skid, improves to 9-16 on the season and 1-7 in the conference while USC Upstate drops to 11-14 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

The Highlanders took the first set, 25-2, but the visiting Spartans followed up with a 26-24 win in the second frame, knotting the match at 1-1.  NJIT won comfortably in the third set, 25-17 and secured the match with a 25-16 victory in the fourth frame.

NJIT's Klocek put together a strong performance Saturday, recording a match-best 18 kills on 42 attempts with five errors, notching a .310 hitting percentage.  Klocek added 10 digs, five total blocks (all assists) and four service aces.

Junior middle Mikalah Hughes notched a season-best 12 kills, combining for a .357 hitting percentage while sharing match-high honors with Klocek with five total blocks (all assists).

Senior Weronika Wiezik was the third Highlander to notch double-digit kills and was one dig shy a double-double with 11 kills and nine digs.  Wiezik added three aces, as the Highlanders held an 8-3 advatnage in the service ace category.

Freshman setter Liz Benson recorded a career-best 48 assists and added 10 digs, notching her fifth double-double on the season.

Defensively, sophomore Adriana Nieto, who ranks third in the ASUN in digs per set, paced the match with 24 digs.  Nieto has posted 19 double-figure dig totals this season.  Benson and Klocek each added 10 digs apiece.

NJIT held a 10-4 team blocking advantage, led by Klocek and Hughes with five apiece.

USC Upstate's Emily Koelling led the Spartans with 17 kills while Callie Yeargin, just missed notching a double-double with nine kills and 11 digs.

Spartan setter Madison Haake recorded a double-double with a team-best 38 assists and 12 digs.  Libero Kaleigh Kelley paced the Spartans with 19 digs followed by Haake (12) and Yeargin (11) and Rebecca Shearer (11).

In front of the net, Yeargin recorded three block assists.

The first set, saw eight ties and three lead changes, with the final tie at 21.  The Highlanders scored the final four points of the set to take the first frame, 25-21.  Wiezik paced the Highlanders with five kills.

In the second frame, which seesawed back-and-forth early, saw the visiting Spartans with a four-point lead in the mid-teens, 15-11, after a kill by Brianna Tellschow.  

The home team rallied back after six consecutive points late in the frame, pulling ahead, 24-21.  The Spartans scored five answered points for a 26-24 victory to even the score 1-1.

The third frame remained close early with the Highlanders holding a 7-6 lead.  NJIT used a 4-0 run, increasing the Highlander lead to four, 11-6, resulting in a Spartan timeout.

NJIT with an 18-12 advantage, saw the lead diminish, as the Spartans rallied back to pull within three, 16-20.  After a timeout by the Highlanders, NJIT used a 5-1 run to secure the win, 25-17.  Klocek notched six kills in the set.

In the fourth and final set, NJIT started out on a 16-8 advantage.  The Spartans inched their way back into the set on a late 4-1 run, 21-15, resulting in an NJIT timeout.  The Highlanders went on a 4-1 spurt to close out the frame, 25-16, recording the programs first ASUN victory of the 2016 season.

NJIT, which will have a quick turnaround, will host Marist on Sunday at 1pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.