VIDEO: NJIT Highlights
CAMBRIDGE, MA–The NJIT men's volleyball team's seven-match win streak was snapped after a 3-1 EIVA Conference road loss at Harvard Saturday evening inside Malkin Athletic Center.
NJIT, which entered the match on a seven-match win streak, moves to 7-3 on the young season and 3-1 in the EIVA while Harvard picks up its second straight win of the season improving to 4-6 on the season and 2-2 in the EIVA.
The Crimson took a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 and 25-22 victory in the first and second set. The Highlanders bounced back in the third frame, recording a 27-25 victory. Harvard held off NJIT in the fourth frame, securing the 3-1 victory with a 25-16 win.
NJIT's Julian Meissner paced the match with 18 kills on 29 attempts for a .448 hitting percentage with just five errors. Alessandro Negri combined for 11 kills followed by middle Carson Williams with seven kills on 12 swings for a .500 hitting percentage.
Setter Griffin Fieseler combined for 34 assists and five digs as Martin de Chavarria led the Highlanders in front of the net with four total blocks (one solo, three assists).
Meissner led the Highlanders with seven digs followed by Jens Feldthus with six.
Harvard had three players reach double-digit kills in the victory – Campbell Schoenfeld (15), Kade McGovern (11) and Ethan Smith (10). James Bardin recorded 38 assists and Eric Li notched six digs.
In the first frame, NJIT held as many as a three-point advantage into the early teens, with the Highlanders leading 14-11, behind a short 3-1 run. Harvard rallied back to tie the set at 15-all and regain the lead after a 4-1 spurt for a 19-16 lead. The Crimson scored three consecutive points to take a 23-19 advantage, resulting in an NJIT timeout. NJIT scored a pair of points but Harvard secured the 25-20 win after a kill by Ethan McCrary.
The start of the second set played out just like the first, with NJIT leading by as many as two until Harvard tied the set at 15-15 and took its first lead of the frame after four straight points for a 19-15 advantage. The visitors rallied back to pull within one, 21-20, after a 3-0 run but Harvard closed out the set on a 3-1 spurt to pick up a 25-22 win in the second set to jump ahead 2-0.
NJIT got off to a quick 4-1 run in the third set and went ahead 7-4. The set, which went for extra points, saw the set tied 11 times, the final at 25-all as the Highlanders recorded a 27-25 victory, scoring the final two points of the frame on back-to-back kills from Negri and Meissner.
Midway through the fourth set, NJIT leading 10-9, the Crimson used an 8-1 spurt, extending its lead to 17-11, resulting in an NJIT timeout. Harvard continued to stay in control, taking a 20-14 advantage and closing out the frame on a 3-1 run to secure a 25-16 win to earn the 3-1 home victory over the Highlanders.
NJIT will return to action next weekend when the Highlanders host Saint Francis U on Friday, February 25 at 6pm and Penn State on Saturday, February 26 at 7pm. The match vs. the Nittany Lions will be streamed live on ESPN+.
