NEWARK, NJ — The NJIT men's volleyball team opened EIVA Conference play with an impressive 3-1 victory over No. 19 Princeton on Friday evening inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
Winners of six straight, the Highlanders improved to 6-5 overall, 5-0 at home, and 1-0 in the EIVA.
After dropping a tightly contested first set, 26-24, NJIT responded with set wins of 27-25, 25-21, and 25-23 to secure the conference-opening victory.
Sophomore Wiktor Nowak led the Highlander offense with a career-high 29 kills on 56 attempts, posting a .339 hitting percentage. Freshman Daniel Latkowski also reached double figures, recording 10 kills on 14 swings with just two errors for a .571 hitting percentage.
Setter Bruno Figueiredo registered a double-double with 52 assists and 10 digs, while libero Diego Lopez led all players with 12 digs. Freshman Gustavo Chrcanovic added 11 digs, and Andre Aleixo contributed nine.
At the net, Nowak totaled six blocks (one solo, five assists), Alex Heins also recorded six blocks (two solo, four assists), and Latkowski chipped in four blocks assists.
Princeton jumped out to a 14-9 lead in the opening set, but NJIT responded by scoring six of the next seven points to tie the set at 15-15. The teams traded points down the stretch before the Tigers closed out the frame with the final two points to win 26-24.
The second set remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than two points. Princeton took a 25-24 advantage following a NJIT error, but the Highlanders answered with three straight points to claim a 27-25 win and even the match.
NJIT took control early in the third set, building a 10-6 lead and later extending it to 12-8. Princeton narrowed the gap to 13-12, but the Highlanders responded with four consecutive points to go ahead 20-15. The Tigers rallied to within two at 23-21, but NJIT closed the set with the final two points for a 25-21 win and a 2-1 match lead.
In the fourth set, Princeton led 8-4 and later 18-14, but NJIT surged back with an 11-5 run to close out the match with a 25-23 victory, securing the upset over the 19th-ranked Tigers.
Princeton was led by Owen Mellon and Andrew Werner, who each recorded 11 kills in the loss.
NJIT returns to action next weekend with a pair of EIVA road matches at Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m.
