Photo Gallery
NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT men's volleyball team remained undefeated at home inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center, sweeping visiting Saint Francis U in EIVA Conference action Friday evening.
NJIT improves to 8-3 on the season, 4-1 in the EIVA and a perfect 6-0 at home with the win while Saint Francis U moves to 7-6 overall, 4-2 in the conference.
The Highlanders swept the Red Flash – 25-19, 25-23 and 25-21.
Redshirt junior Jens Feldthus led the Highlanders with 11 kills followed by Julian Meissner with nine. Feldthus combined for a .435 hitting percentage on 23 attempts with just one error. Freshman Alessandro Negri added seven kills on 18 swings for a .278 hitting percentage.
Setter Griffin Fieseler recorded a team-best 25 assists, added seven digs, a team-best and posted three kills on six attempts in front of the net for NJIT. Negri added five digs for NJIT.
In front of the net, Martin de Chavarria recorded a match-best four total blocks (two solo, two assists).
Saint Francis U was paced by Blake Liprando's match-high 12 kills and setter Ryan Parker combined for 32 assists, including three service aces, as the Red Flash held an 8-to-2 advantage in the service ace category. Ryan also led all players with eight digs.
Early in the first set, NJIT scored eight straight points for a 13-6 lead and later extended its advantage to 19-11. NJIT closed out the set on a 4-2 run, behind five kills from Jens Feldthus.
Saint Francis U got out to a 9-4 run in the second frame but the Highlanders rallied back to cut the lead to within one, 13-12, after scoring six straight points. Both teams traded both midway through the teens, with NJIT knotting the score at 16-all but the Red Flash used a 7-2 run for a 23-20 lead, resulting in an NJIT timeout. Trailing 23-20, NJIT rallied back and scored the final five points of the set for a 25-23 victory to go ahead 2-0.
The third set, which saw eight ties and three lead changes, saw the final tie at 12-12, as NJIT used a quick 4-0 run for a 16-12 lead after a Saint Francis U attacking error. The Highlanders stayed in control, holding a three-point advantage into the early 20's and recorded the final point of the match on a kill by Negri for a 25-21 victory.
NJIT will return to action on Saturday at 7pm when the Highlanders host No. 4 Penn State inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center in EIVA Conference action. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
