VIDEO: Highlights
PRINCETON, NJ–Princeton earned a 3-1 home victory over visiting No. 15 NJIT in EIVA Conference men's volleyball action Saturday afternoon inside Dillion Gymnasium.
Princeton won its third straight match of the season, improving to 8-12 overall and 7-6 in the EIVA while the Highlanders dropped its second consecutive match, moving to 11-8 overall, 6-4 in the conference.
The Tigers won the first set, 25-21 and the Highlanders evened the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 win behind a .346 hitting percentage. Princeton won the third set in extra points, 26-24 and secured the 3-1 win with a 25-17 win in the fourth frame.
Princeton was led by James Hartley who shared match-high honors with NJIT's Julian Meissner recording 21 kills. Hartley hit .412 for the match while Ben Harrington added 12 kills and Parker Dixon combined for 10 kills. Dixon finished the match with an impressive .529 hitting percentage.
The Tigers held a 15-to-10.5 team blocking category led by eight total blocks from Gavin Leising (two solo, six assists) and four block assists from Hartley.
For NJIT, Meissner paced the Highlanders with 21 kills followed by Alessandro Negri (9), Martin de Chavarria (8) and Carson Williams (7). Williams combined for a .385 hitting percentage.
Setter Griffin Fieseler registered 33 assists and added five digs as libero Joe Kennedy and Negri each notched seven digs.
In front of the net, Meissner and de Chavarria each recorded five block assists.
NJIT led the service ace category, 6-to-4, led by Meissner and de Chavarria combining for two aces apiece.
Princeton took a 4-0 lead in the early stages of the first set and extended its lead to 7-3. NJIT responded and cut the Tigers deficit to one, 7-6. Both teams traded points through the teens but Princeton took control by scoring five consecutive points for a 23-18 advantage. The Highlanders used a 3-1 spurt late, pulling within three, 24-21, resulting in a Princeton timeout. The Tigers Gavin Leising recorded the final point on a kill for a 25-21 victory.
NJIT used a 7-1 run midway through the second set, taking a 15-9 lead, capped by a kill from Julian Meissner. NJIT stretched its lead to 21-16 on back-to-back points, including a service ace from Martin de Chavarria. Princeton recorded consecutive kills to cut the Highlander lead to three, 21-18, resulting in an NJIT timeout. NJIT closed out the frame on a short 3-2 run as Meissner registered the final point of the set for a 25-19 to tie the match at 1-1.
Visiting NJIT scored the first two points of the third set and pushed ahead, 6-3, on a pair of attacking errors by the Tigers. The home team used a 3-1 run, cutting the Highlander lead to one, 7-6 and later extended its lead to 14-11. The set saw 10 more ties the final at 24-all and the Tigers finished the frame off with back-to-back points to earn the 26-24 victory to go up 2-1.
The Tigers continued its momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. NJIT rallied to within one point, 7-6, Princeton scored five straight points for a six-point advantage, 12-6 and extended its lead to 15-7, resulting in a Highlander timeout. NJIT went on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to within five, 20-15 but the Tigers closed out the set on a 5-2 spurt to secure the 3-1 win with a 25-17 victory.
NJIT will return home next weekend when the Highlanders host Sacred Heart on April 1 at 6pm and Harvard on April 2 at 4pm inside NJIT's Wellness and Events Center.
