Match Stats
- NJIT def. Charletson (WV) 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-23)
- NJIT moves to 11-7 (5-3 EIVA); Charleston falls to 10-11 (0-8 EIVA)
- Wehrle Athletic Arena, Charleston, West Virginia
- Attendance: 33
- Box Score
NJIT kept its hopes of a post-season berth in the EIVA tournament alive with a 3-0 sweep of Charleston, who remains winless in the conference. NJIT sits 1 game ahead of Saint Francis and in the 4th spot in the EIVA table – with 4 teams earning invites to the conference championship tournament. The winner of the conference championship tournament goes to the NCAA Championship tournament.
The Highlanders have now won 5 straight games, which is 1 shy of the school record they set last year.
NJIT’s Raymond Kowalski led all players with 12 kills and also chipped in 3 aces, 2 blocks, and 5 digs. NJIT had 7 aces – their 4th straight game with at least that many.
Ryan Santos had 11 kills to lead Charleston.
Press Release
Courtesy NJIT Athletics:
CHARLESTON, WV—The NJIT men’s volleyball team won its fifth consecutive match of the season, blanking Charleston (WV), 3-0, Friday evening in EIVA Conference men’s volleyball action at Wehrle Arena.
NJIT, which has won the last seven-out-of-eight matches this season, improves to 12-7 on the season, 5-3 in EIVA while Charleston drop to 10-11 overall, 0-8 in the EIVA.
The Highlanders five straight wins is one shy NJIT’s longest win streak set last season (2016), when NJIT won six straight (March 8 to April 1).
The 12 wins for NJIT matches the highest win total for the Highlanders in the last five seasons (12 wins in 2012). NJIT last won 13 matches in 2008, when the Highlanders advanced to the EIVA semifinals.
NJIT won in straight sets – 25-15, 25-17 and 25-23, paced by redshirt junior Raymond Kowalski’s match-best 12 kills. Senior outside hitter Jabarry Goodridge followed with eight kills while freshman middle Luke Allmond was efficient with a .444 hitting percentage, combining for five kills on nine attempts with just one error.
Setter Ricardo Whitaker recorded 26 assists and five digs while Goodridge led the Highlanders with 10 digs followed by senior Brad Thele and libero Shannon Heckman with six each.
Allmond was the match-leader with five total blocks (two solo, three assists) and Kowalski combined for three service aces followed by Goodridge with two, to lead the Highlanders with a 7-to-1 advantage in the service ace category.
Charleston’s Ryan Santos led the Golden Eagles with 11 kills. Setter Anthony Rivera notched a match-best 27 assists while libero Darrin DePellegrini dug-up a match-high 11 digs.
The Highlanders, which hit .429 in the first set, came out on fire, taking a 10-3 lead and pushed its advantage to 20-12, as the visitors cruised to a 25-15 victory.
NJIT picked up where they left off in the first set, hitting an impressive .435 in the second frame, and held a six-point advantage late in the set, 21-15, after a kill by redshirt senior middle Luke Robbe. The Highlanders closed out the set on a 4-2 run, to go up, 2-0, with a 25-17 win.
In the third frame, the closest of the three sets, the Highlanders found themselves down, 0-3, but bounced back and went ahead 7-6 on a Golden Eagle attacking error. Charleston kept the Highlanders within reach through the late-teens but after a 22 all tie, the Highlanders went on a 3-1 spurt to close out the match with a 25-23 victory.
The two teams will square off on Saturday at 3pm.
Courtesy Charleston Athletics:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – UC Men’s Volleyball couldn’t overcome a slow start Friday evening against NJIT, falling to the Highlanders in straight sets at the Wehrle Athletic Arena
Just the Basics
SCORE – University of Charleston 0, NJIT 3 (15-25, 17-25, 23-25)
TEAM RECORDS – Charleston (10-11, 0-8 EIVA), NJIT (12-7, 5-3 EIVA)
Game Leaders
-Ryan Santos led Charleston in kills with 11, hitting at .121 against the Highlanders.
-Byron Hurd was UC’s most effective attacker, swinging at .353 with 9 kills on 17 attempts.
-Junior setter Anthony Rivera handed out 27 assists on 32 Charleston kills
-Libero Darrin DePellegrini led the match with 11 digs on defense.
-NJIT’s Raymond Kowalski was the match’s MVP, leading the Highlander attack with 12 kills while adding 3 aces.
How it Happened
-The Highlanders overwhelmed the Golden Eagles to start the match, jumping out to a quick 11-3 advantage, eventually taking the set 25-15. NJIT was paced by the solid play of Kowalski who closed out the set with 5 kills and 3 aces.
-UC got off to a better start in the 2nd set but faltered late in the set allowing the Highlanders to secure the set 25-17, using a 6-2 run to hold off UC who had trimmed the lead to 19-15.
-Charleston played their most competitive set in the 3rd and for a moment looked as if the match would head to a 4th set but NJIT prevailed 25-23. UC led for much of the set and held a 20-17 late but the Golden Eagles made some critical errors down the stretch that let the Highlanders end the match on an 8-3 run.
Up Next
-Charleston faces the same Highlander team on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. as part of their two-game series with NJIT.
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