UNIVERSITY PARK, PA–Second-seeded Princeton defeated sixth-seeded NJIT, 3-1, Thursday afternoon in the 2023 EIVA Conference semifinal match hosted by Penn State inside Rec Hall.
Princeton won the first frame, 25-19 as NJIT evened the series at 1-1 with a 25-23 victory. The Tigers won the third and fourth frames, 25-14 and 25-19 to secure the 3-1 victory and will advance to the 2023 EIVA Championship for the second straight season on Saturday, April 22 at 7pm.
Seven Highlanders played in their final collegiate matches of their careers – graduate students Jens Feldthus and Roque Nido and seniors – Carson Williams, Mason Matos, Julian Meissner, Martin de Chavarria and AJ Jones.
NJIT was led by sophomore Alessandro Negri, who was named to the EIVA second-team, registering a team-best 13 kills and finished with a .385 hitting percentage. Three different Highlanders – Carson Williams, Jens Feldthus and Martin de Chavarria each combined for six kills.
De Chavarria, an EIVA second-team selectee, finished with a .500 hitting percentage and added to total blocks. Williams finished with a .385 hitting percentage, recording six kills on 13 attempts with just one error.
Graduate student Roque Nido piled up 20 assists followed by Griffin Fieseler with 12 assists. Antonio Feliciano led the Highlander defense with eight digs.
In a back-and-forth first set, NJIT held a 5-3 lead until Princeton went on a 7-1 spurt and took a 10-6 lead. The Tigers increased its lead to eight, 21-13, and recorded a 25-19 win.
NJIT built a 15-8 lead in the second frame but Princeton closed the gap and tied the frame at 23-all but the Highlanders scored the final two points to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 victory.
Princeton took a commanding 10-3 lead to begin the third set, resulting in the Highlanders second timeout of the frame. NJIT cut Princeton's deficit to half, 12-6, on a kill by Martin de Chavarria. Midway through the frame, the Tigers went on a 5-1 spurt to take a 19-10 advantage to earn a 25-14 victory and go up 2-1, heading into the fourth set.
NJIT got off to a quick start in the fourth set, scoring the first two points but Princeton rallied and scored four consecutive points for a 4-2 lead. Tied at 7-all, Princeton used a 5-2 run to take a 12-9 lead, resulting in a timeout by NJIT. The Highlanders went on a 4-1 spurt of its own to knot the frame at 13-all on a kill by Alessandro Negri. The Tigers extended its lead to as many as four, 19-15, behind three straight points. NJIT responded and scored three consecutive points, pulling within one of Princeton, 19-18, capped by an ace from Griffin Fiesler. Princeton answered the Highlanders' run, scoring four consecutive points to take a five-point lead, 23-18 and closed out the match on a 6-1 run to secure a 3-1 victory with a 25-19 win.
