NEWARK, NJ – Second-seeded NJIT will take on sixth-seeded Princeton on Thursday, April 23 in the 2026 EIVA Semifinals, hosted by Penn State at Rec Hall.
Game Information
First serve is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on B1G+, with live statistics available on NJITHighlanders.com.
Regular Season Series | NJIT vs. Princeton
NJIT swept the regular season series against Princeton for the first time since 2022. The Highlanders earned a 3-1 victory in Newark in the first meeting, before closing out the series with a five-set win on March 21 in Princeton.
Highlander Highlights
NJIT enters postseason play with strong momentum, having been ranked in the AVCA Top 20 for 11 consecutive weeks. The Highlanders have won five straight matches and 18 of their last 21 contests.
NJIT holds an 18-8 overall record and finished 9-3 in EIVA play, going undefeated at home during the regular season. The Highlanders are one of just three NCAA Division I programs to remain unbeaten on their home court this year, joining UCLA (10-0) and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (11-0).
The 18 victories mark the program's highest win total since 2007, while the nine conference wins are the most since 2022.
A win on Thursday, NJIT will advance to the EIVA Finals for the first time since the 2022 season.
NJIT's success has been matched by individual accolades. Andre Aleixo was named the 2026 Tom Tait Memorial Freshman of the Year and earned All-EIVA Second Team honors. He headlines a group of six Highlanders recognized by the conference.
Bruno Figueiredo, Daniel Latkowski, and Wiktor Nowak were selected to the All-EIVA First Team, while junior libero Diego Lopez joined Aleixo on the Second Team. Freshman Alex Heins earned Honorable Mention recognition.
Scouting Princeton
The sixth-seeded Princeton Tigers took down third-seeded George Mason in the EIVA Quarterfinals, 3-1, paced by Owen Mello, an EIVA first-team selection, behind 15 kills and a .371 hitting percentage.
Princeton advanced to the EIVA Tournament with a road sweep of Harvard last weekend. The Tigers opened with a five-set victory on Friday, powered by a career-high 26 kills from Owen Mellon, before securing the series with a 3-0 win on Saturday.
Mellon earned First Team All-EIVA honors, while teammate Whitfield was named to the Second Team.
The Tigers enter the match with a 3-9 conference record after finishing sixth in the EIVA standings. Earlier this season, Princeton recorded a notable ranked win over No. 12 UC San Diego in a five-set battle, highlighted by a strong defensive performance.
Mellon leads Princeton offensively, averaging 3.45 kills and 3.93 points per set—both ranking fifth in the EIVA. Kelly has been a key contributor across the board, ranking second in the conference in digs (2.06/set) and fifth in assists (8.38/set).
Last season, Princeton captured the EIVA regular season title before falling to Penn State in the conference tournament final.
Stay Connected
Follow NJIT Men's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@NJITMVB) and like the team on Facebook for updates throughout the season.
