CHARLESTON, WV–No. 14 Charleston completed the two-match regular season sweep of visiting NJIT Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory in EIVA Conference action.
Charleston, who have won four straight, improved to 21-2 overall, 5-1 in the conference while the Highlanders moved to 8-13 overall, 2-5 in the conference.
The Eagles took the opening match against the Highlanders on Friday, 3-1 and followed up with a 3-2 decision on Saturday.
Charleston went ahead 2-0 with wins in the first two frames 25-17 and 25-19. The Highlanders won the next two frames 25-21 and 25-23 to force a fifth and deciding frame. The Eagles went on to earn the 3-2 victory with a 15-12 win in the final frame.
NJIT had four players with double-figure kills – Alessandro Negri (13), Jens Feldthus (10), Martin de Chavarria (10) and Josh Gregg (10).
Graduate student Roque Nido combined for 44 assists while Antonio Feliciano registered nine digs. In front of the net, de Chavarria tallied seven assists followed by Gregg (4), Negri (4) and Andrew Fedmasu (4).
Feldthus combined for three aces for the Highlanders.
In the fifth and deciding set, the home team jumped out to an early 5-2 advantage and pushed its lead to 8-5. NJIT slimmed the Eagles lead to one, 8-7, behind back-to-back Highlander kills. Charleston answered with a 4-1 run to take an 11-8 lead, resulting in an NJIT timeout. The visitors rallied back and pulled within one of the Eagles, 12-11, but the Eagles closed out the match with a 15-12 win to earn the 3-2 victory.
In the first frame, both teams went back and forth early with the Eagles taking a 12-9 lead behind three straight points and extending its lead to as many as 17-13. Charleston scored the final five points of the set for a 25-17 victory and finished hitting .409 for the frame.
Neither team led by more than three points in the second set with the Eagles leading by three, 17-15, resulting in a timeout after a 3-1 run by the Highlanders. The Eagles closed out the frame on a 5-2 run to take a 2-0 lead with a 25-19 win.
NJIT bounced back in the third frame to earn a 25-20 victory behind a .393 hitting percentage. The Highlanders led from the start and took a five-point lead through the mid-teens, 18-13. The Eagles closed the NJIT gap to as many as three, 24-21, but NJIT's Alessandro Negri's kill secured the 25-21 victory.
Visiting NJIT evened the score at 2-2 with a 25-23 victory in the fourth frame. A frame which saw 10 ties the final at 21-all, NJIT used a 4-2 spurt to force a fifth and deciding frame.
NJIT will close out the home portion of its schedule next weekend, hosting Harvard on April 7 at 7pm and April 8 at 4pm. The Highlanders will honor its graduating seniors in pregame ceremonies on April 8.
