Dover, Del. – The NJIT women's volleyball team kicked off its final non-conference tournament of the season on Friday at the Delaware State Tournament, falling in three sets to George Washington.

Harvard 3, NJIT 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-15)
The Highlanders fell behind early in set one, but a 5-0 burst helped them knot things up, 12-12, midway through the frame. Harvard was able to bounce back, rebuilding a large lead to take the opening set. The Crimson were able to control the following two sets to take the victory in straight sets.

Sara Siefert led the Highlanders with eight kills, while Ilayda Dincer was close behind with six kills and seven digs. Cece Marino also posted seven digs for the match along with eight assists and three block assists.

Delaware State 3, NJIT 1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-21, 25-21)
The Highlanders came back late in set one to take the early lead in the match. Delaware State built two large leads in the opening frame, eventually taking a 19-12 lead late in the set. Kills from Rowan Schreiber, Aries Fontaine and Ines Varela helped NJIT climb back into contention, closing the gap to three, 23-20. Later with the Highlanders trying to fend off set point for the Hornets, NJIT rattled off four straight points, including a pair of kills from Mariana Cova, to take the set, 26-24.

Despite the set one win, Delaware State would regroup and take the second set to even the match up at one set apiece. Sets three and four were tightly contested in the latter stages, but the home side was able to pull out victories in each stanza to take the match in four sets.

Cova notched a season-best 12 kills, narrowly missing a double-double by adding nine digs to her tally. Fontaine did come away with a double-double on the night, finishing with 10 kills and 13 digs.

Up Next
The Highlanders cross the Hudson on Tuesday as they head to Manhattan to face the Japsers at 7 p.m.