MUNCIE, IN–Purdue Fort Wayne grabbed a hard fought five-set victory over visiting NJIT Sunday evening in men's volleyball non-conference action.

NJIT, still in search of its first win in 2026 after a challenging start to the schedule, which saw the Highlanders face No. 2 Hawaii, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 16 Ball State, moves to 0-5 on the young season.  

Purdue Fort Wayne picks up its first win of the season improving to 1-1.

The teams were tied at 1-1 heading into the third set with Purdue Fort Wayne, holding off the Highlanders for a 25-22 victory to go up 2-1.  NJIT bounced back and answered in the fourth frame with a 25-23 win forcing a fifth and deciding set.  

In the fifth frame, the Mastodons jumped out to a five-point advantage, 10-5, but visiting NJIT rallied back using a 5-2 run to pull within two, 12-10, on a Highlander block assist.  Purdue Fort Wayne scored the last two out of three points to secure the 15-12 victory in the final set to earn the 3-2 victory.

Two Highlanders registered double-digit kills led by Wiktor Nowak with a team-best 20 kills followed by newcomer Andre Aleixo with 16.  Freshman Adam Uryniuk combined for a double-double with 40 assists and 10 digs to go along with three service aces and two block assists.  Libero Diego Lopez added seven digs and Aleixo posted five.

NJIT held a 7-to-3 advantage in the service ace category led by Uryniuk and Aleixo's three service aces.

Purdue Fort Wayne's Carlo Huisden led all players with 22 kills followed by Owen Banner with 21.

Up Next
NJIT will open the 2026 home slate next weekend when the Highlanders host Jessup (CA) on January 16-17 at 4pm on America East TV.

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