UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – In a thrilling EIVA Semifinal match-up Thursday afternoon, sixth-seeded Princeton outlasted second-seeded NJIT, 3–2, at Penn State's Rec Hall.
NJIT claimed a marathon opening set, 37–35, before Princeton answered with a 25–16 win in the second. The Highlanders regained the lead with a 25–22 third-set victory, but the Tigers forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth, 25–19. Princeton then hit .375 in the final frame and secured the upset with a 15–11 win.
Wiktor Nowak paced NJIT with a career-high 31 kills on 67 attempts for a .358 hitting percentage—marking the second-highest total in the NCAA this season for a five-set match. He added nine digs and two block assists.
Andre Aleixo recorded his third career double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs, along with two service aces. Alex Heins was highly efficient in the middle, finishing with 10 kills on 16 swings with just two errors for a .500 hitting percentage, while adding four block assists.
Parker Moorhead contributed nine kills, libero Diego Lopez posted 14 digs, and setter Bruno Figueiredo dished out 54 assists to go along with five block assists and three digs.
NJIT showed resilience throughout the match. After Princeton jumped out to a 7–4 lead in the opening set, the Highlanders responded with a 5–1 run to even the score at 11–11 and later built a 23–19 advantage. Princeton rallied to tie the set at 23–23, and the teams battled through 12 ties before NJIT closed it out, 37–35.
The Tigers controlled the second set from the outset, using a 5–0 run to take a 9–4 lead and later extending the margin to 16–8 en route to a 25–16 win.
NJIT regained momentum in the third, jumping out to a 6–3 lead and stretching it to 15–10. Princeton narrowed the gap late, but the Highlanders held on for a 25–22 victory.
In the fourth, NJIT opened with a 4–1 run, but Princeton responded and eventually pulled away late, scoring the final five points to take the set, 25–19, and even the match.
Princeton carried that momentum into the fifth, racing out to a 6–0 lead behind a strong start from Mason Rice. NJIT answered with an 8–1 surge to take a 9–8 advantage, but the Tigers closed the match on a 7–2 run to seal the 15–11 win and advance to the EIVA Championship.
Highlander Highlights
NJIT entered the postseason riding strong momentum, earning a spot in the AVCA Top 20 for 11 consecutive weeks and winning 18 of its final 22 matches. The Highlanders finished the season 18–8 overall and 9–3 in EIVA play, going undefeated at home during the regular season—one of just three NCAA Division I programs to do so, alongside UCLA and Maryland Eastern Shore.
The 18 wins mark the program's highest total since 2007, while the nine conference victories are the most since 2022.
Individually, Andre Aleixo was named the 2026 Tom Tait Memorial Freshman of the Year and earned All-EIVA Second Team honors. He was one of six Highlanders recognized by the conference. Bruno Figueiredo, Daniel Latkowski, and Wiktor Nowak earned All-EIVA First Team selections, while Diego Lopez joined Aleixo on the Second Team. Freshman Alex Heins received Honorable Mention recognition.
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