CHARLESTON, WV--After dropping the first set, the NJIT men's volleyball team bounced back to earn a 3-1 victory at Charleston (WV) led by senior outside Alvaro Gimeno's match-best 15 kills in EIVA Conference men's volleyball action Friday evening.
NJIT, which earned an NVA/AVCA Division I-II top-15 ranking, marking the first time in program history, have won the last four-out-of-five matches, improving to 4-3 overall and 4-1 in the EIVA. Charleston (WV), who was coming off a weekend sweep against Saint Francis U, drops to 2-3 overall and 2-3 in the EIVA.
Gimeno, reigning Sports Import/AVCA Player of the Week led all players with 15 kills and combined for a .370 hitting percentage. His nine digs were a match-best and added two service aces.
Sophomore Julian Meissner recorded 10 kills, seven digs and two block assists for NJIT while Jens Feldthus added nine kills and Luca Berger recorded seven kills, four aces and three block assists.
Two-time OffTheBlock National Setter of the Week Griffin Fieseler piled up 38 assists and four digs in the win.
The Golden Eagles had two players -- Maarten Bartels and Arthur Sueur with 10 kills each. Reigning EIVA Defensive Player of the Week Diego Villafane added 33 assists, three block assists and two digs. Sean Drexel led Charleston defensively with seven digs.
Charleston took the first frame, 25-19, behind a .276 hitting percentage as opposed to a 0.71 hitting percentage for the Highlanders, who combined for 10 errors on 28 attempts. Trailing, 10-8, the Golden Eagles went on an 11-3 run to take an 19-13 lead. NJIT battled back, using a late 5-1 run, closing the gap to three, 24-21, but a kill from Ian Barker earned the Golden Eagles a 25-19 victory.
NJIT bounced back in the second set, posting a .292 hitting percentage on 10 kills with just three errors on 24 swings, including three aces. Charleston led early, 9-6, but the Highlanders scored five consecutive points to push ahead, 11-9. Tied at 17-all, NJIT used an 8-2 run to close out the set, securing a 25-19 victory.
In the third frame, NJIT took control using an early 8-2 run, capped by a block by Berger, giving the Highlanders a 13-8 lead, resulting in a Charleston timeout. NJIT extended its lead to 17-10 after four straight points, capped by an ace from Berger. The Highlanders scored the last five out of eight points in the set to record the 25-16 victory.
Leading 2-1 in the match, NJIT scored the first four points of the fourth set and jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Charleston rallied back and cut the Highlander deficit to two midway through the set, 15-13 but the Highlanders went on a 6-1 spurt to go ahead 24-15 and earned the 3-1 victory on a Golden Eagle error.
The two teams will conclude the two-match series on Saturday at 3pm.
