April 16, 2007

NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey Institute of Technology men's volleyball will open the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoffs Wednesday in a 7 pm match at East Stroudsburg in Pennsylvania.

NJIT (19-9 overall) is seeded seventh in the eight-team field after capturing the regular season championship of the EIVA Hay Division with a 9-1 divisional record.

East Stroudsburg (10-12 overall) is seeded sixth as the sixth-place team in the higher power rated EIVA Tait Division. In two regular season meetings this season, the Highlanders and East Stroudsburg split, with NJIT winning, 3-2, on March 6 in Newark. East Stroudsburg won, 3-0, in the April 11 rematch in Pennsylvania.

The winner of Wednesday's match between NJIT and East Stroudsburg will advance to a quarterfinal match Saturday, April 21, at third-seeded George Mason in Virginia.

The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the EIVA semifinals, where it will take on second-seeded Saint Francis (PA) on April 26. The semifinals and the April 28 finals will be hosted by top-seeded Penn State, which, along with Saint Francis, has a double bye into the semifinal round.

The EIVA playoff champion receives an automatic berth into the four-team NCAA men's volleyball national championship tournament.

This season's 19 wins are the most for NJIT since the 1999 team finished with a 24-5 record. The 19 wins also stand as the second-highest total since 1995, when the Highlanders finished 20-13.