No. 11 Men's Volleyball Keeps Rolling with Ninth Straight Win

NJIT men's volleyball won its ninth straight match of the season with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) victory at Sacred Heart Saturday evening in EIVA Conference men's volleyball action.

No. 11 NJIT recorded its third straight 3-0 sweep, won its ninth straight match, improved to 11-3 overall and 11-1 in the EIVA.  The 11-3 start for the Highlanders is the best start since 2007 when the Highlanders started off the season 10-4.

NJIT sophomore Julian Meissner led the match with nine kills followed by senior Alvaro Gimeno (7) and graduate student Lica Berger (6).  Berger combined for a .667 hitting percentage (6k, 0e, 9a) while middle Martin de Chavarria notched a .625 hitting percentage in the win with five kills on eight attempts and no errors.

Freshman setter Griffin Fieseler piled up a match-high 30 assists and six digs.  Gimeno added five digs for NJIT.

Gimeno registered five service aces, which ranks tied for fifth in the nation in a three-set match.  Meissner posted three aces for the Highlanders.

De Chavarria and Berger each recorded three total blocks (one solo, two assists).

Sacred Heart (0-10 overall, 0-10 EIVA) was led by Mark Berry's seven kills.  Nicholas Palluzzi registered six kills and added four service aces for the Pioneers.  Libero Teddy Payne paced the match with seven digs.

The Pioneers got off to a quick start in the first frame, jumping out to a 12-4 advantage.  NJIT inched its way back into the set, scoring 10 consecutive points, knotting the set at 16-all.  The Highlanders would take its first lead of the set, 19-18, on a service ace by Julian Meissner and finished out the set on a 3-0 run to come-from-behind and win, 25-23.

NJIT carried momentum into the second set, taking an early 11-8 lead on a solo block by Luca Berger, resulting in a Sacred Heart timeout.  The Highlander began to slowly pull away from the Pioneers, scoring three straight for a 14-9 advantage and extended its lead to 19-13.  NJIT closed out the set with an ace by Meissner for a 25-18 victory.

After a 10-10 tie in the third frame, visiting NJIT scored nine straight points to stretch its lead to eight, 19-11, and the Highlanders would cruise to a 25-19 victory to secure the 3-0 sweep.

NJIT will return to action when the Highlanders host No. 9 Penn State inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center on Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20.  Both matches will begin at 4 p.m. and will be broadcasted on NJITHighlanders.com.

Earlier in the season, NJIT and Penn State split the two-match series at University Park.

The Highlanders cracked into the top-15 poll in week four, after a weekend split at then-ranked No. 11 Penn State on Feb. 14, marking the first time in program history.  The win for the Highlanders marked the first time since 1998 NJIT defeated Penn State.