LONG BEACH, CA–Long Beach State, ranked No. 2 in the latest AVCA Division I-II men's volleyball rankings, defeated visiting NJIT, 3-1, Friday evening in non-conference volleyball action inside Walter Pyramid.
The Beach improved to 9-2 on the season and have won the last four out of five matches while the Highlanders moved to 9-5 on the season.
Long Beach State claimed the first two sets (25-16, 25-20), before NJIT rallied a comeback to win the third set (25-23). The Beach put the match away in the fourth as they hit .462 in the frame, 25-16.
Alex Nikolov led all scorers with a 19-kill performance on a .351 hitting percentage. Spencer Olivier recorded his second double-double as the junior outside hitter collected 14 kills and 14 digs.
Julian Meissner led the way with 15 kills for the Highlanders while Roque Nido had 25 assists, seven digs, and four blocks, while middle Martin de Chavarria led the team at the net with seven blocks, while also contributing nine kills on a .421 hitting percentage.
NJIT took an early 3-1 lead and later went up 9-6 behind four consecutive points. Long Beach State used an 8-2 run capped by an ace from Alex Nikolov, for a 15-12 lead, resulting in a timeout. NJIT rallied back to pull within one, 16-15, after an ace by Julian Meissner. Long Beach scored six straight points and extended its lead to 22-15 and closed out the set on a 9-1 spurt to record a 25-16 victory.
After scoring the first point of the second set, Long Beach State scored the next five straight and went on a 10-1 spurt pushing its lead to 10-2. NJIT answered with four straight points of their own, cutting the deficit to four, 10-6, after a service ace by Carson Williams and later slimmed the lead to three, 13-10, on block assists by Carson and Jens Feldthus. The Beach continued to remain in control, extending its lead to 17-12. NJIT closed the gap to within a five-point margin, 23-19, on a kill by Martin de Chavarria but Long Beach State scored the final two points of the set for a 25-20 win to go up 2-0.
Trailing 2-0, NJIT held Long Beach State to a .032 hitting percentage. NJIT used a 7-0 run to take a 19-17 lead over the Beach. Although the Beach rallied back to tie the set at 21-all, NJIT closed the frame with three straight points to win, 25-23.
Long Beach State came out on fire in the fourth set, hitting .462 in the frame. The Beach never trailed and took a late 22-13 advantage and put away the match with a 25-16 victory.
NJIT will break for a week and return to action at home inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center hosting No. 8 Ball State (11-2) at 6pm on March 11.
