DOVER, DE—Delaware State nipped visiting NJIT, 3-2, Saturday evening in a hard-fought contest between two resurgent women's volleyball programs.
The Hornets, who prevailed, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, and 15-11, completed their regular season with a 15-10 record overall, with the 15 wins representing Delaware State's highest season total since 1991. They will play next in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference postseason tournament.
NJIT, which had won its previous five matches, fell to 17-12 with the defeat. But the 17 wins are the most for a Highlander team since 1990, when NJIT competed in NCAA Division III and finished with a 23-10 record.
The Highlanders still have their home finale, Senior Night, on Wednesday against Fairleigh Dickinson, plus the national Division I Independent tournament at Utah Valley the weekend before Thanksgiving remaining on the 2008 schedule.
NJIT lost on Saturday despite a balanced attack led by 19 kills from junior Katrina Hornstein, followed closely by freshman Renata Pandolfo and sophomore Baaba Hughes, with 18 kills apiece. Setter Erica Schultz had 47 assists for the Highlanders.
The service ace totals were close (7-6, NJIT), but the Highlanders were undermined by mistakes in that category, as they made 11 service errors to just four by the victorious Hornets.
Pandolfo, senior Agnieszka Pregowska and junior Sabrina Baby each notched two aces for NJIT and Hornstein accounted for the seventh.
Five Highlanders produced double-figure digs totals, paced by Baby's 20. Schultz had 14, the versatile Pandolfo checked in with 13, Hornstein got 12 and Hughes 11.
Pregowska and Hughes led NJIT's defense at the net, generating one block solo each.
Delaware State got a stellar match from junior Cassandra Joyner, who was match-high in kills (22), digs (21) and blocks (6; 3 solo, 3 assists).
Sophomore Ashley Herman had 12 kills and 12 digs and freshman Elisa Hermann produced 10 kills and 14 digs, plus a team-best two aces.
Martina Ferrari and Sarah Wheatcroft shared the setting duties for the Hornets, logging 27 assists and 25 assists, respectively.
Neither team led the first set by more than three points until DSU surged to a 3-1 finish to close out a 25-21 win in the opening frame.
The Highlanders jumped out, 11-4, in the second set, but the Hornets fought back and eventually tied, 18-18. NJIT then got three straight points on a Pandolfo kill, a Hornet attack error and a Pandolfo ace, keying their own 25-21 win to draw even at a set each.
The momentum then swung back to the home team, as NJIT began the third set with a dismal 1-12 start that included seven Highlander attack errors, four of which were blocked.
However, NJJT rallied and closed to 13-16, then 15-17 and finally 19-20 after back-to-back service aces by Pregowska. But Delaware State regrouped and claimed the set with five straight points for the 25-19 win.
Next it was NJIT's turn to dominate early, taking leads of 9-2 and 18-10, before the Hornets made it close cutting their deficit to 23-24, before the Highlanders got set point and a 25-23 win on another kill for Pandolfo.
Delaware State gained the upper hand from the start of the decisive fifth set, taking a 3-0 lead and the Hornets never trailed en route to a 15-11 win. NJIT tied the set, 11-11, after a DSU ballhandling error, but the Hornets took a timeout and ran off the last four points to secure the set and the match.
NJIT will host Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday at 7 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center. Seniors Agnieszka Pregowska and Danielle Thompson will be honored in pre-match ceremonies. The Highlanders won 3-0 at FDU back on September 24.
