NJIT (3-9, 1-2 EIVA) will host a pair of EIVA Conference matches this weekend, first hosting #10 Penn State (9-3, 4-1 EIVA) on Friday night before welcoming Saint Francis U (7-10, 2-3 EIVA) inside the new-state-of-the-art Wellness and Events Center on the campus of NJIT.
Game vs. Penn State (Friday, March 2) Live on ESPN3
The game can be seen live on ESPN3.
A simple way to find ESPN3 is on NJIT's official athletics website, http://www.njithighlanders.com.
Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN3 portal where you can access the desired program.
Game vs. Saint Francis U (Saturday, March 3) – Highlander Sports Network
The game can be seen live on the Highlander Sports Network.
A simple way to find is on NJIT's official athletics website, http://www.njithighlanders.com.
Near the middle of the home page under the headlines section, an upcoming events calendar lists scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the left of the event listing. That brings you to an Highlander Sports Network portal where you can access the desired program.
Scouting the Highlanders
NJIT (3-9, 1-2 EIVA) started its 2018 campaign with a challenging schedule, playing five teams ranked in the top 12.
The Highlanders have won three matches at home inside the new Wellness and Events Center, against Lindenwood, Belmont Abbey, and Sacred Heart.
NJIT split a pair of matches last weekend as they took down Sacred Heart in four sets and dropped five sets to Harvard the next day.
NJIT is led by freshman Alvaro Giemeno with 133 kills and 22 service aces through 12 matches.
Alvaro has combined for four double-digit kill matches, including an 18-kill performance against Harvard. He ranks second in the EIVA in kills and points per set, fourth in total kills and points.
Sophomore
Piotr Namiotko is second on the team with 100 kills. Namiotko sits in the top five in the EIVA in total kills.
Defensively, the Highlanders are led by
Kevin Myren and
Luca Berger who have posted 32 and 30 blocks, respectively.
Penn State in the National Rankings
Penn State is currently ranked in the top-25 in four different team categories including a top-10 ranking in hitting percentage – .312 (seventh), and aces per set – 1.82 (fifth).
Individually, Jalen Penrose is the national leader in aces per set (0.71) with a season total of 30, Kevin Gear is No. 5 in hitting percentage (.445), and Luke Braswell is 14th in the nation in assists per set averaging 9.77.
Nittany Lions No. 10 in the Latest AVCA Poll
Penn State enters week eight as the No. 10 team in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association DI-II (AVCA) poll. Penn State (9-3, 4-1) is coming off a split weekend vs. George Mason and Charleston (WV) this past weekend in Rec Hall.
Long Beach State remained the No. 1 team in the nation receiving all 25 first-place votes with a record of 14-0, followed by Hawai'i at No. 2 (9-2), UCLA at No. 3 (14-4), UC Irvine at No. 4 (12-4) and BYU at No. 5 (14-4) rounding out the top-five.
Saint Francis U
Saint Francis U enters the weekend with a 7-10 overall record and 2-3 in conference play after falling to Charleston and George Mason last weekend.
The Red Flash dropped a close five set match to Charleston and then dropped a four set match to George Mason the following night.
Redshirt Senior Stephen Braswell ranks first in the EIVA in total kills with 172 while also ranking third in total digs (111) and service aces per set (0.48).
On the defensive side, freshman Ryan Alu leads the conference in total digs with 128 while ranking third in digs per set with 2.56.
Reigning EIVA Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Hayden Herc sits in fourth in the conference with a 0.98 blocks per set percentage.
