PRINCETON, NJ–Princeton topped visiting NJIT, 3-1, (30-28, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21) in the final regular season match of the season for both teams inside Dillon Gymnasium.
The Tigers improved to 13-11, 7-3 in the EIVA while the Highlanders moved to 8-16 overall, 2-8 in the EIVA. Visit NJITHighlanders.com for more information regarding the 2023 EIVA Conference Tournament which will be hosted at top-seeded Penn State from April 19 to April 22.
NJIT, which hit .344 for the match was paced by Alessandro Negri's match-best 17 kills behind a .343 hitting percentage followed by Martin de Chavarria (9k) and Jens Feldthus (9k).
Graduate student Roque Nido tallied 27 assists, a match-best 11 digs and four kills. De Chavarria recorded five total blocks (one solo, four assists). Negri added four digs and three total blocks (one solo, two assists).
Princeton took a 30-28 victory in a marathon of a first set against visiting NJIT which saw 13 ties throughout the frame. The Highlanders, leading by one, 26-25, on a kill by Alejandro Negri saw the Tigers close out the set on a 5-2 run for a 1-0 advantage.
NJIT evened the score at 1-1 in a tight second set, which was equally just as close as the first set, which also saw 13 ties and four lead changes. Tied at 20-all, NJIT scored three straight points for a 23-20 lead and secured the 25-22 victory in the second set.
The two teams played a close third set with NJIT leading in the late teens, 18-15, but the home team rallied for a 4-0 spurt, resulting in a Highlander timeout to give the Tigers a 19-15 lead. NJIT registered back-to-back kills by Alejandro Negri to tie the frame at 22-all. Princeton scored the final three points of the set to go up 2-1 with a 25-22 win.
NJIT, trailing by as many as seven in the fourth set, rallied back to pull within two of the Tigers, 15-13, on a solo block by Negri. Princeton went on a 3-1 spurt, capped by an ace by Ben Harrington to go back up by four, 18-14, resulting in a Highlander timeout. NJIT slimmed the Tiger gap to three, 23-20, but Princeton picked up a 3-1 victory scoring the final two out of three points for a 25-21 victory.
