Highlights vs. Princeton
NEWARK, NJ—Before this week, NJIT men's volleyball had never beaten Princeton twice in the same regular season. With Friday night's 3-1 win over the visiting Tigers in the Fleisher Athletic Center, the Highlanders made it two wins over Princeton in four days this week.
The last time NJIT beat Princeton twice in the same year was 2008, but it took the Highlanders three matches to do it that season. The teams split the two regular season matches, with the home team coming out on top each time, and then NJIT defeated Princeton 3-2 in April 2008 in the first round of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoffs.
From 2009 to 2015, the Tigers dominated the head-to-head series 11-1 and the 2008 EIVA playoff win stood as NJIT's last away win in the series. The Highlanders broke that streak on Tuesday night, edging Princeton 3-2 and then NJIT completed the series sweep Friday night, losing the first set 25-23 and then roaring back 25-20, 25-19, and 25-21.
With the latest victory, NJIT's fifth in a row, the Highlanders are 6-3 in the EIVA and 7-13 overall. Princeton is 3-6 in the EIVA and 3-14 overall. NJIT's winning streak is its longest since 2007, when the Highlanders won six in a row to open the season.
The Highlanders had three hitters with double-figure kills totals, headed by a match-high 16 from
Jabarry Goodridge, supported by 14 for
TJ Jurko and 10 for middle hitter
Luke Robbe, who did not commit an attack error in 16 attempts to notch a .625 attack percentage.
Cameron Tait finished with 30 assists in three sets played and
Ricardo Whitaker, who played two sets, added 15 assists in sharing setter duties.
Jurko and
Raphael Anthony each posted two service aces for the Highlanders.
On defense, Jurko was one dig short of an offense/defense double-double, finishing with a match-best 9 digs, while Brad Heckman added 7 digs. The Highlanders, who held a 10.5-to-7.5 lead in total team blocks, got 7 block assists from the 6-foot-8 Robbe, while Thele had 6 block assists and Tait had the team's only block solo, plus 4 block assists.
Princeton got 12 kills from Kendall Ratter, 11 from Mike Fuerst, and 10 from Devin Stearns. Chris Kennedy recorded 33 assists and Jonah May added 10. The Tigers, who served 8 aces, got two each from Ratter, Stearns, and May.
Defensively, Stearns' 7 digs were team-best and Alex Schindele-Murayama was tops at the net with a block solo and 4 block assists.
NJIT opened the first set with a 9-5 advantage and still led 18-15, before Princeton surged ahead with a 7-2 spurt that gave the Tigers a 22-20 edge. NJIT rallied for a 23-23 tie, but Princeton took the set on back-to-back kills for Billy Andrew and Chris Kennedy.
The second set was tied as late as 14-14, but NJIT took over on a three-man block by Jurko, Tait, and Robbe and then a Robbe kill that made the score 16-14. The Highlanders extended their advantage to 23-18 on a kill by Goodridge and secured set point on another kill by the outstanding junior.
NJIT cruised in the third set, opening at 10-4 and continued to build the lead, going up 13-6 after another kill for Goodridge. Princeton made some mini-runs, but the Highlanders finished the set with a 25-19 win on Jurko's kill for set point.
Facing elimination, Princeton went up 12-7, but NJIT used a 6-1 rally to tie the score at 13 apiece. After subsequent ties at 14, 15, and 16, the Highlanders went ahead for good on a Tiger service error followed by kill Jurko and an attack error by Princeton. NJIT led by at lead two points for the rest of the set and gained match point on another service error by the visitors.
The Highlanders are off until Friday, April 1, when they host Saint Francis at 7 pm. After that, NJIT hosts perennial EIVA champion Penn State on Saturday, April 2, at 4 pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.
Those contests are rematches of NJIT's first two EIVA contests of the season. The Highlanders lost 3-1 at Penn State on February 19 and 3-1 at Saint Francis the next day.
