VIDEO: Highlights
VIDEO: Post Game Interivew w/ Danny Goncavles
NEWARK, NJ–Visiting Princeton rallied, trailing 0-2 to earn the come-from-behind 3-2 victory on the road at NJIT in men's volleyball EIVA Conference action Saturday evening inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
The Tigers, winners of four in a row, improved to an even 8-8 overall and 3-2 in the EIVA while the Highlanders move to 6-10 overall, 1-3 in the conference.
Princeton had three players in double-digit kills placed by a match-best 16 kills from Nyherowo Omene with 16 kills, Ben Harrington (14) and James Hartley (12). Setter Henry Wedbush piled up a match-best 50 assists, added four digs and three block assists. Hartley added three service aces. Harrington and Matt Suh shared match-high honors with seven digs.
NJIT was led by Alessandro Negri with 12 kills followed by freshman Andrew Fedmasu with a career-best 11 kills. Fedmasu finished the match with a .533 hitting percentage and two block total blocks.
Graduate student Roque Nido combined for 33 assists, four digs, two kills and one block assists. Jens Feldthus registered seven kills, six digs and three service aces. Fedmasu posted two aces for the Highlanders.
In the fifth and deciding set, both teams traded points early with Princeton taking a two-point advantage, 8-6. NJIT fought back and knotted the set at 9-9 but the Tigers scored three straight points for a 12-9 lead, resulting in a Highlander timeout. The closest the Highlanders would get would be three, 14-11 as Princeton scored the final point to secure the 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
NJIT used a 7-1 spurt midway through the first set to take a 15-7 lead behind a pair of aces from graduate student Jens Feldthus. The Highlanders increased its lead to 10, 19-9, on back-to-back points as Princeton took its second timeout to regroup. NJIT's Alessandro Negri registered the final point of the set with a kill for a 25-14 victory.
The home team continued its momentum into the second set to take a five-point lead, 9-5, behind five consecutive points. NJIT pushed its lead to six, 13-7, on a kill by Alessandro Negri. Princeton inched its way back into the frame, slimming the Highlander deficit to one, 15-14, using a 3-1 run. NJIT went on a 5-2 run for a four-point cushion, 21-17, resulting in a Princeton timeout. NJIT finished off the set on a 3-1 run to record a 25-22 victory and go ahead 2-0.
Both teams traded points early in the frame with NJIT leading by at least two points, heading into the media timeout, 15-13. Princeton used a 4-0 spurt to break at 16-16 tie and take its first lead of the frame, 18-16. The Tigers scored the final five out of six points to pick up a 25-20 win in the third frame.
Princeton led from start to finish in the fourth frame, taking its biggest lead of the frame by eight, 22-14, after eight consecutive points and forced a fifth and deciding set with a 25-16 victory.
NJIT will play the next three on the road during Spring Break at North Greenville (March 14), Saint Francis U (March 16) and Queens (March 17) before returning home for EIVA Conference action against George Mason on March 21 at 6pm.
