NEWARK, NJ—The NJIT women's volleyball team returned from a week-long break between matches to sweep visiting Chicago State, 3-0, in the Highlanders' first-ever Great West Conference home match Saturday afternoon in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

The Highlanders, who won 25-17, 25-19, and 25-16 to raise their overall record to 12-5 along with a 3-0 ledger in the Great West Conference, had trouble in each of the sets from Chicago State, which stayed winless (0-15, 0-4 GWC) despite a spirited effort.

NJIT got 11 kills apiece from sophomore co-captain Renata Pandolfo and junior Baaba Hughes in securing the win.

Senior setter Erica Schultz had 21 assists and freshman Anna Mercado, who played extensively in the last two sets, added eight assists for the Highlanders.

Pandolfo completed a double-double with a team-leading 11 digs, while senior co-captain Sabrina Baby came away with 10 digs. Freshman Fernanda Lima led NJIT in blocks, collecting four, all block assists.

NJIT, which had an 8-1 advantage in services aces, got a pair of aces apiece from Baby, Pandolfo, and Schultz.

The kills leader for the visiting Cougars was sophomore Mazvita Maziveyi, while junior setter Hanya Minta finished with 19 assists and her team's only service ace. She also had a match-best 12 digs. Senior Niena Posey, with five block assists, earned match honors in that category.

Chicago State did not trail for nearly the first half of the opening set and the score was still deadlocked at 13-13 when NJIT ran off four straight points to trigger a 12-4 run to the finish by the Highlanders. Baaba Hughes had five kills in the set for NJIT.

The Cougars opened the second set at 4-1 and the score was tied 7-7, before a Highlander skein of six straight points—four coming on Chicago State errors. NJIT led by at least five points for the rest of the set, which ended on a service ace and then a kill by Highlander freshman Janet Snell, who started the last two sets and produced five kills and seven digs.

The Highlanders took the first four points of the third set aided by two Cougar errors and NJIT held an 8-5 lead, before Chicago State used a 4-1 spurt to draw even at 9-9. NJIT senior Katrina Hornstein, who had a strong match, delivered a kill to make it 10-9 and the Highlanders led the rest of the way, including a 5-0 burst that extended a 14-13 lead to 19-13. Audrey Snell, Janet's older sister, delivered match point with a service ace.

The Highlanders, who are in a stretch that will see them play about as frequently as a football team (three matches between September 26 and October 23), are off a week before hosting Utah Valley on Saturday (October 10) at 5 pm in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.

That match against the preseason coaches' poll favorite to win the Great West Conference will be part of the annual NJIT Day celebration.