BELMONT, NC—Junior middle
Luca Berger hit .900 for the match, leading visiting NJIT to a 3-0 straight set victory at Belmont Abbey, registering the third straight win for the Highlanders in non-conference action Monday afternoon at Wheeler Center.
NJIT, which began its Spring Break trip with a weekend sweep at Charleston (WV) in EIVA Conference action, recorded its third straight 3-0 victory Monday at Belmont Abbey, improving to 7-12 on the season.
The Highlanders combined for a .413 hitting percentage, outhitting the Crusaders, who registered a .086 percentage, en route to a 25-12, 25-17 and 25-21 victory.
Berger finished the match with a team-best nine kill on 10 attempts with no errors, including two service aces and four total blocks (one solo, three assists).
In addition to Beger, junior
Piotr Namiotko combined for eight kills followed by sophomore
Alvaro Gimeno with seven kills on nine swings and just one error for a .667 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter
Roque Nido piled up another double-digit match with 32 assists while sharing match-high honors with libero
Chris Wise with six digs.
In the first frame, the Highlanders opened the match with four straight points and continued building, recording a 25-12 victory and registering a .500 hitting percentage with nine kills on 16 attempts and just one error.
NJIT recorded a .562 hitting percentage in the second frame, notching 11 kills, cruising to a 25-17 win to go ahead, 2-0. NJIT scored the final six points of the set.
The third set, the closest of the three, saw the home team take a 13-9 advantage early. The visitors responded with four of the next five points to close the gap to within one, 15-14. After a 15-all tie, the Crusaders rallied off four consecutive points, extending its lead to four, 19-15. NJIT responded with 10 of the next 12 points to come-from-behind and earn the 3-0 sweep with a 25-21 victory.
NJIT will return to action on March 30 when the Highlanders visit No. 14 George Mason at 7pm. In the first meeting in Newark, the Patriots swept the Highlanders, 25-14, 25-23 and 25-19.