PRINCETON, NJ–The NJIT men's volleyball team concluded its season in the 2025 EIVA Conference semifinals as third-seeded Penn State swept second-seeded NJIT Thursday evening inside Dillon Gymnasium on the campus of Princeton.
The second-seeded Highlanders conclude the 2025 season 14-13 overall, 8-4 in the EIVA Conference, both records above .500. The 14 wins overall and the eight wins in the conference are the most wins since the 2022 season. The second place finish in the regular season is the highest finish for the Highlanders in Danny Goncalves 11-year career at the helm of the Highlanders.
The Nittany Lions won in straight sets Thursday – 25-22, 25-21 and 25-21 to secure the 3-0 sweep.
NJIT was led by senior Alessandro Negri, a four-time EIVA Conference selection, with 15 kills on 24 swings with just two errors for a .542 hitting percentage. Classmate Josh Gregg added 10 kills and finished with a .227 hitting percentage. Antonio Feliciano added eight kills.
Feliciano paced the Highlanders with seven digs followed by Diego Lopez with four and in front of the net Andrew Fedmasu combined for five total blocks (one solo, four assists).
Both teams went back and forth in the first frame with neither team leading by more than two points with NJIT holding a 20-18 advantage. The Nittany Lions used a 6-1 spurt and scored five straight points to take the first set, 25-22 victory.
Penn State took an early four-point lead to begin the second frame, 13-8, behind a 8-2 run. The Highlanders responded midway through the second set, using a 7-1 spurt to regain the lead, 17-16. The Nittany Lions used a late 6-2 run to push its lead to as many as four, 25-21, go up 2-0.
The Nittany Lions took control of the third set 8-6 and pushed its lead to three, 15-12, at the media timeout. Penn State continued its momentum with a short 3-1 run for a 17-13 lead. The Highlanders scored back-to-back points to pull within two, 17-15. NJIT made a late comeback in the set behind consecutive points for the Highlanders to cut the deficit again to one, 22-21. The Nittany Lions closed out the match, scoring the final three points of the match to secure the 25-21 victory.
Thursday marks the final career match for Negri, Feliciano, Gregg, Braeden Goebbert, Gil Zyndorf and Christian Trevino.
