NEWARK, NJ – NJIT men's volleyball capped a perfect home season with a 14–0 record, defeating visiting Sacred Heart, 3-1, in the regular-season finale for both teams inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
The Highlanders, winners of five straight and 18 of their last 21 matches, improved to 18-8 overall and 9-3 in EIVA play while finishing unbeaten on their home floor. NJIT is one of three NCAA Division I teams undefeated at home this season – UCLA (10-0) and UMES (11-0). The 18 victories mark the program's highest total since the 2007 squad recorded 19 wins, while the nine conference wins are the most since the 2022 season when NJIT finished with 10.
Prior to the match, NJIT honored its two graduating seniors, Mateusz Bobkowski and Andrew Fedmasu, in pregame ceremonies.
NJIT was led by sophomore Wiktor Nowak, who recorded a team-high 14 kills to go along with eight digs. Freshman Andre Aleixo added his second career double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs. Nowak has now posted double-figure kills in seven consecutive matches and 18 times across 26 contests this season.
Setter Bruno Figueiredo dished out 36 assists and added nine digs. Parker Moorhead and Nowak each contributed eight digs, while middle blocker Alex Heins totaled five blocks (one solo, four assists). Heins also delivered an efficient offensive performance, hitting .538 with seven kills on 13 attempts without an error.
Both teams traded points early in the opening frame before Sacred Heart used a 4-1 run to build a four-point lead at 12-8. NJIT answered with six consecutive points to move ahead 14-12. The set featured six ties, the last coming at 19-19, before NJIT closed on a 6-2 run to secure a 25–21 win and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Sacred Heart opened the second set with an 8-5 lead, but NJIT responded with three straight points to even the score at 8-8. The set featured four additional ties, the last at 13-13, before the Highlanders used back-to-back points to take a 15-13 advantage. NJIT later extended its lead to 18-16 with a quick 3-1 run, prompting a Sacred Heart timeout. The Highlanders closed strong, scoring five of the final six points to secure a 25-20 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The visitors seized control early in the third set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead and later extending it to 12-6, forcing an NJIT timeout. The Pioneers maintained their momentum into the 20s, building an eight-point advantage at 20-12, and closed out the set by scoring the final four points to secure a 25-15 victory and force a fourth set.
NJIT opened the fourth set with three straight points and built a 7-2 lead. Sacred Heart battled back with an 8–3 run to tie the set at 11-11 and briefly took a 14-13 advantage following a 3–1 spurt. The Highlanders responded with four consecutive points to regain control at 17-14 and never trailed the rest of the way. Holding a 24-21 edge, NJIT closed out the set by scoring three of the final four points to secure a 25-22 win and a 3-1 victory at home.
Next Up
The 2026 EIVA Conference Tournament will be hosted by No. 15 Penn State, the EIVA Conference Regular Season Champions. The Nittany Lions will be the No. 1 seed in the Championship which will be played from April 23-25 at University Park, PA. NJIT will be the No. 2 seed and face the winner of No. 3 George Mason/No. 6 Princeton on Thursday, April 23.
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