NEWARK, NJ–NJIT senior
Alessandro Negri registered 21 kills in the Highlanders 3-2 thrilling victory over No. 20 George Mason Friday evening in EIVA Conference men's volleyball action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
NJIT, winners of six in a row, the most consecutive wins since the 2022 season, improved to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the EIVA. George Mason moves to 4-5 overall, 0-1 in the EIVA.
The last time NJIT defeated a top-20 team was in the 2022 season when the Highlanders went five sets with No. 12 UC San Diego on January 28.
In the fifth and deciding set, NJIT took full control of the set, taking a 10-3 lead. George Mason inched their way back into the set, using a 4-1 run to close the Highlander gap to within two, 13-11. A pair of kills by Negri, including the final point of the match secured the Highlanders 3-2 win with a 15-12 victory.
George Mason took the first frame Friday night 25-22 but the home team evened the score at 1-1 with a 28-26 victory in the second frame. The Patriots went ahead 2-1 with a 25-18 victory in the third frame. The Highlanders rallied in the fourth set, 25-20, to even the score at 2-2 and went on to win the fifth and deciding set with a 15-12 victory and secure the 3-2 home win.
In addition to Negri's match-best 21 kills, freshman Wiktor Nowak combined for 18 kills followed by 11 from Antonio Feliciano. Negri finished the match with a .441 hitting percentage.
Defensively, three Highlanders reached double-digit digs – Bruno Figueiredo (15), libero Diego Lopez (12) and Nowak (11). Figueiredo piled up a match-high 50 assists.
In front of the net, Braeden Goebbert recorded six total blocks (one solo, five assists), Nowak (one solo, three assists) and Negri (three assists).
NJIT set the tone early in the first set, jumping out to an early 6-1 lead. The Highlanders kept a two point lead through the early teens until George Mason used a 5-1 spurt to gain the lead, 15-14. After six ties, the final at 20-all, the Patriots closed out the frame on a 5-2 run to take the first frame, 25-22. As a team, NJIT hit .321.
The Patriots got off to a quick start in the second frame, 7-3, but the Highlanders quickly rallied back to retake the lead, 7-6, behind three straight points, including back-to-back kills by Antonio Feliciano. Both teams went back and forth with neither team leading by more than one point until the 20's, when the Patriots scored four straight points for a 23-20 advantage. Down by three, the Highlanders finished off the frame on an 8-3 run to tie the match at 1-1 with a 28-26 victory, including scoring the final three points of the set.
The third frame George Mason took a 15-8 lead and never looked back to go up 2-1 with a 25-18 victory behind hitting .357 for the set.
NJIT scored the first six points of the fourth set and increased its score to 17-13 behind a 4-1 run. The Patriots pulled within three, 21-18 but it was the Highlanders in full control, closing out the set on a 5-2 run and forcing a fifth and deciding set with a 25-20 victory.
The Highlanders will continue its five match homestand and host Princeton on Valentine's Day, February 14 at 6pm inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
