Post Game Interview

NEWARK, NJ—NJIT's Jabarry Goodridge and Raymond Kowalski notched 15 kills apiece as the Highlanders swept visiting Coker, 3-0, Thursday evening in men's volleyball non-conference action at the Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Highlanders, which returned back to action after an 11-day break, improved to 8-7 overall while the visiting Cobras dropped its second straight match, falling to 9-6 on the season.

The hot-hitting Highlanders posted a .390 hitting percentage, combining for 41 kills on 77 swings with 11 errors.  NJIT's counterpart struggled, hitting .029 for the match.

Goodridge finished the match with a .480 hitting percentage, notching 15 kills on 25 swings, with just three errors while Kowalski combined for 15 kills of his own on 26 attempts and four errors, finishing with a .423 hitting percentage.

Redshirt senior Brad Thele recorded a .600 hitting percentage with six kills, no errors on 10 attempts.

Highlander setter Ricardo Whitaker piled up a match-best 30 assists while libero Shannon Heckman was the match-leader with eight digs.  Whitaker followed with six digs followed by Goodridge (5) and Kowalski (5).

In front of the net, Kevin Myren paced the Highlanders with eight total kills (1 solo, 7 assists) while Kowalski combined for five block assists.

NJIT held a 5-for-1 edge in the service ace category led by Whitaker with three followed by two from Goodridge.

Coker was paced by Joao Victor Santos seven kills while Gregory Esquivel led the Cobras defensively with seven digs.

In the first set, the Highlanders hit an impressive .480 as Kowalski led the set with five kills while Goodridge and Thele added four each.  NJIT took an early lead, 15-9, and extended the advantage to 20-12, cruising to a 25-16 victory.

The second set, the closest of the three frames, was played tight throughout, until the Highlanders went on a 4-2 spurt, pulling ahead, 21-17.  After a timeout by Coker, with NJIT up, 23-18, the Highlanders closed out the frame on a kill by Kowalski,
25-20, taking a 2-0 lead.

NJIT hit .417 in the third set, led by Kowalski's six kills.  The Highlanders jumped ahead, 13-7, and pushed the lead to 23-15, closing out the match on a kill by freshman Piotr Namiotko for a 25-18 advantage.

NJIT will have a quick turnaround when the Highlanders host EIVA opponent Princeton Friday at 7pm in the Fleisher Athletic Center.