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NEWARK, NJ–Visiting No. 8 Ball State recorded a close four set 3-1 road victory at No. 15 NJIT in non-conference men's volleyball action Friday evening inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
No. 8 Ball State improved to 12-2 overall while No. 15 NJIT moved to 9-6 overall on the season.
Three of the four sets went extra points as the Cardinals won the first two sets 26-24 and 25-22 before the Highlanders won the third set in extra points, 30-28. Ball State secured the match with a 36-34 victory for a 3-1 win.
Ball State was led by Angelos Mandillaris who posted a match-best 21 kills followed by Kaleb Jenness (18) and Vanis Buckholz (10). Setter Quinn Isaacson recorded a match-best 50 assists and added eight digs in the victory. Middle Felix Egharevba notched a match-high 12 total blocks (one solo, 11 assists).
NJIT's Jens Feldthus combined 14 kills followed by Julia Meissner (13) and Martin de Chavarria (11). De Chavarria who ranks second in the nation in blocks per set, notched four total blocks (one solo, three assists).
Setters Roque Nido and Griffin Fieseler split time at the setting position, piling up 29 and 21 assists respectively.
In front of the net, Carson Williams led NJIT with seven total blocks (all assists).
In the first set, NJIT jumped to an early 7-3 lead behind a 5-1 spurt. Ball State rallied back to pull within three, 11-8, after back-to-back kills by Ball State and later pulled within one, 13-12, a block assist. NJIT went on a 4-1 run, extending its lead to 17-14, resulting in a Ball State timeout on a block assist by Jens Feldthus and Carson Williams. The Cardinals used a 8-2 run to take its first lead of the set and go ahead, 22-19. NJIT rallied back to tie the score twice at 23-all and 24-all but the Cardinals took the first frame, 26-24.
Ball State continued its momentum into the second frame, taking a 10-7 lead, after three consecutive points, resulting in an early NJIT timeout. NJIT answered with a 4-1 spurt to tie the set at 11-all. The Cardinals held a two-point lead through the mid-teens, knotting the match at 18-18 and took its first lead of the set, 19-18 lead on a kill by Julian Meissner and scored the next two points for a 21-18 lead. Ball State scored the final five straight points late in the frame with the Cardinals to go ahead, 2-0, with a 25-22 win in the second frame.
In the third set, NJIT went on a 4-1 spurt to take a 12-8 lead after three consecutive Highlander points, resulting in an early Ball State timeout. Trailing by as many as four in the early teens, Ball State went on a 6-2 run to take its first lead of the set, 18-17. After a kill by Jens Feldthus to tie the set at 18-all, Ball State scored the next two for a 20-18 advantage. NJIT fought off multiple match points and earned the 30-28 win to force a fourth set.
NJIT came out on fire in the fourth frame, taking a 5-1 lead and kept a four-point advantage, 10-6, on a Ball State error. The Cardinals inched their way back into the set, slimming the Highlander lead to one, 14-13, after a triple block at the net. The teams went back-and-forth trading points late in the set with the Highlanders breaking a 17-all tie and going ahead, 21-18, behind a 4-1 run, resulting in a Ball State timeout. The set went extra points for the second straight set, which saw 10 ties the final set at 34-all. The Cardinals scored the final two points to secure the 3-1 victory with a 36-34 win.
NJIT will break for a week and return to EIVA Volleyball Conference action on Friday, March 18 at 6pm vs. Charleston (WV) inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
