Men's Volleyball Upsets No. 11 Princeton in Straight Sets

Published: Friday, March 6, 2020

NJIT upset No. 11 Princeton in straight sets, 3-0, (30-28, 25-18, 25-22) Friday evening in EIVA men's volleyball action inside Dillion Gymnasium.
 
NJIT (9-5 overall, 4-3 EIVA) are winners of three in a row.  The Highlanders have now defeated three nationally ranked teams this season – USC (then-ranked No. 12), Purdue Fort Wayne (then-ranked No. 11) and Princeton (ranked No. 11). 
 
Visiting NJIT combined for another impressive team hitting percentage (.538) behind a career-high and match-best 16 kills from freshman Julian Meissner (also recorded 16 kills vs. Ball State).  Meissner, the 6-foot-7 opposite from Berlin, Germany combined for a .615 hitting percentage on 26 attempts with no errors.  He added five digs and four block assists in the win.
 
Junior outside hitter Alvaro Gimeno added nine kills on 17 attempts with no errors, registering a .529 hitting percentage, including eight digs and four block assists.
 
Senior middle blocker Luca Berger paced the match with seven total blocks and shared match-high honors with Princeton's Hartley with four aces.  NJIT held a 10.0-to-3.5 team block advantage.  Setter Roque Nido notched a match-best 31 kills for the Highlanders.
 
Princeton (9-6 overall, 7-2 EIVA) was led by George Huhmann's team-best 14 kills while setter Joe Kelly combined for 21 assists for the home team.
 
First Set | NJIT 30, Princeton 28
A thrilling first between NJIT and Princeton with both teams trading points throughout the extra point frame with neither team leading by more than three.  NJIT combined for a .559 hitting percentage with 20 kills on just one error, notching the 30-28 win.
 
Second Set | NJIT 25, Princeton 18
NJIT took a commanding 2-0 lead after a 25-18 win behind a .442 hitting percentage vs. a .042 percentage by the Tigers.  NJIT extended its lead to as many as nine points, 22-13 and closed out the frame with a kill by Alvaro Gimeno.  The Highlanders combined for five blocks in the set, totaling seven for the match.
 
Third Set | NJIT 25, Princeton 22
NJIT broke a 10-10 tie and used a 7-3 run to jump ahead, 17-13.  The Tigers rallied back cutting the Highlander deficit to three, 23-20, and then two, 24-22.  After a timeout by head coach Danny Goncalves to regroup his team, Meissner put down the match-winning kill to secure the 3-0 sweep over No. 11-ranked Princeton, 25-22.
 
NJIT will play a pair of matches inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center, hosting Ohio State on Thursday, March 12 and Grand Canyon on Friday, March 13.  Both matches are set for 6 p.m. on the Highlanders Sports Network.