NEWARK, NJ–Penn State, ranked No. 19 in the latest AVCA Coaches poll, recorded a 3-1 victory over NJIT Saturday evening in EIVA Conference men's volleyball action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
NJIT and Penn State split the weekend EIVA series with the Nittany Lions moving to 4-8 overall, 2-2 in the EIVA while the Highlanders stand at 7-4 overall, 2-1 in the EIVA.
Three Highlanders registered double-digit kills paced by freshman Wiktor Nowak with 16 kills followed by Antonio Feliciano (10) and Andrew Fedmasu (10). Fedmasu finished the match hitting .533 on 15 attempts and just two errors.
Freshman setter Bruno Figueiredo piled up 45 assists and seven digs. Libero Diego Lopez also combined for seven digs for the Highlanders. Fedmasu paced NJIT in front of the net with three total blocks (all assists).
Both teams traded points in the opening set and scored four points to take a 12-7 lead, resulting in a Penn State timeout. The Nittany Lions rallied and cut the Highlander deficit to one and knotted the set at 20-all behind a 4-1 spurt, resulting in an NJIT timeout. The set saw three more ties, the final at 24-all on a kill by Antonio Feliciano but Penn State scored the final two points to go ahead, 1-0 with a 26-24 victory.
NJIT opened up the set on a 9-4 run and later extended its advantage to five, 19-14. The Highlanders scored three straight points, resulting in a timeout by Penn State and NJIT closed out the set on a 3-1 run to knot the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win.
In the third set, NJIT and Penn State went back and forth with the score knotted at 10-all. Penn State scored three straight for a three-point lead, 13-10, resulting in a Highlanders timeout. The Nittany Lions held a three-point lead throughout the teens and early 20's, scoring the final three points of the set to go up 2-1 with a 25-21 victory.
Penn State took control of the match in the early teens, using a 3-1 run to take a 15-12 lead. NJIT battled back and scored four straight to take a 19-18 advantage capped by a kill by Harrison Girard. A 4-1 run by the Nittany Lions put PSU ahead by two, 22-20, but it was the Highlanders that scored four unanswered for a one-point lead. After three ties, the final at 25-all, Penn State closed out the match scoring the final four out of five points to secure the 28-26 victory and earn the 3-1 road win at NJIT.
The Nittany Lions were led by Will Kuhns match-high 21 kills behind a .357 hitting percentage.
NJIT will return to action on February 28 when the Highlanders visit No. 20 Princeton at 7pm. In the first meeting of the season, the Tigers defeated NJIT, 3-1, in Newark.
