UNIVERSITY PARK, PA—Sophomore Alvaro Gimeno registered a match-best 19 kills to lead the Highlanders but it wasn't enough as Penn State had three players record double-digit kills in a four-set victory, 3-1, Saturday evening in EIVA men's volleyball action in the Rec Hall South Gym.

Penn State won 23-25, 25-16, 16-25, 23-25, improving to an even 8-8 on the season and 5-2 in conference play while the Highlanders fall to 4-8 overall and 0-5 in the EIVA.

NJIT, which hit an impressive, .388 for the match, was led by Gimeno with 19 kills, three block assists and three digs.  Junior Piotr Namiotko combined for 14 kills while middle hitter Luca Berger finished with a .778 hitting percentage with seven kills and nine attempts.

Graduate student Enrique de Diego Garcia added six kills on nine attempts with just one error for a .556 hitting percentage while freshman Jens Feldthus hit .400, posting five kills on 10 swings with one error.

Freshman Roque Nido produced 42 assists while Tyler Brandow led the Highlanders with four digs followed by Namiotko, Enrique de Deigo Garcia and Gimeno with three digs each.

Penn State had three players reach double-digit kills paced by Henrik Falck Lauten with 18, Matthew McLaren (15) and Calvin Mende (13).

NJIT started out the first frame, taking a 10-7 advantage but Penn State quickly answered, pulling back within two, 10-8, after block assists by the Nittany Lions.  After a pair of service aces by the Nittany Lions, NJIT responded with four consecutive points, 15-12, forcing a timeout for the home team.

Penn State rallied back, sparked by a back-to-back kills by Mende, for a 19-18 edge.  The home team scored three straight after two kills by Lauten and a Highlander error for a 25-23 victory.

The Highlanders finished the first frame with a .344 hitting percentage, combining for 14 kills on 32 attempts and just three errors.

The second frame, in which the Highlanders recorded a .750 hitting percentage (16k, 1e, 20a), saw NJIT jump out to a 12-9 lead and held a four-point lead, heading into the mid-teens, 14-10.

The visitors extended its lead to six, 17-11, and were nearly perfect with side-out opportunities 16-for-17 (94%) to secure the 25-16 victory.

In the third frame, Penn State started out 5-3 and extended its advantage to 15-11.  The Nittany Lions held a comfortable lead and closed out the set with straight points, taking a 2-1 lead, recording a 25-16 victory.

A tight fourth set, saw the Highlanders jump out to a 4-1 advantage but the Nittany Lions responded, taking a 6-4 lead.  Both teams exchanged the lead and traded points back and forth to tie the score in the middle the set.

After its final tie, 15-all, the Nittany Lions held a one-point advantage all the way up until match-point, where Falck Lauten secured the win with a kill, earning a 25-23 win.

NJIT will return to action on Tuesday, when the Highlanders visit Princeton at 7pm.  Three days later, the two teams will meet again, in Newark, with first spike set for 6pm.