NJIT Sweeps Visiting Purdue Fort Wayne for First Win of 2022

Published: Monday, January 24, 2022

The NJIT men's volleyball team picked up its first win of the 2022 season sweeping visiting Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 26-24), Sunday afternoon in men's volleyball non-conference action inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.

NJIT (1-2) hit an impressive .456 behind a team-best 11 kills from Julian Meissner followed by Jens Feldthus (10) and Martin de Chavarria (9).  De Chavarria combined for a .615 hitting percentage on 13 attempts and just one error while middle Carson Williams hit .889 with eight kills, no errors on nine swings.

Setter Griffin Fieseler recorded a match-best 34 assists and Meissner and Feldthus paced the Highlander defense with eight digs.  

In front of the net, NJIT held a 9.0-to-6.0 team blocking advantage led by a match-best five total blocks (one solo, four assists) from de Chavarria followed by Williams (four block assists).

Freshman Alessandro Negri recorded three aces in the match as the Highlanders held a 7-to-3 advantage over the Mastodons.

Jon Diedrich led Purdue Fort Wayne (3-3) with a match-high 15 kills followed by Carlos Mercado with six.  

NJIT got off to a quick start in the first set, jumping out to a 15-9 lead and went ahead 20-12 behind a 4-0 run, resulting in a Purdue Fort Wayne timeout.  An ace by Antonio Feliciano and a kill by Julian Meissner sealed the set for a 25-16 advantage.

Purdue Fort Wayne took control of the second set, taking a 9-6 advantage on a short 3-0 spurt, resulting in a Highlander timeout.   NJIT responded on a run of their own, pushing its lead to three, 14-11, after a kill by Jens Feldthus.  A 5-1 for the home team resulted in a Purdue Fort Wayne timeout as the Highlanders remained in front, 18-13.  NJIT stayed in control and secured the 25-19 win after a pair of kills by Feldthus to end the set.

In the third frame, which saw 17 ties and eight lead changes, saw the Highlanders finish off the set, winning the last three out of four points, including a kill from Carson Williams and Jens Feldthus to close the match, 26-24, and earn the teams first victory of the 2022 season.

NJIT, in a stretch of a three-game homestand, will welcome US San Diego on Friday at 6pm.