NEWARK, NJ–The NJIT men's volleyball team earned a five-set home victory over visiting LIU in men's volleyball non-conference action inside the Joel and Diane Bloom Wellness and Events Center.
NJIT, which has won three straight and the last six-out-of-seven matches, improves to 6-4 on the season while LIU moves to 3-6 on the year.
The Highlanders took control of the fifth set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead and extending to 10-2, behind an .800 hitting percentage (4k, 0e, 5a) resulting in an LIU timeout. LIU cut the lead to six, 12-6, using a 4-2 spurt but NJIT scored back to back points for match-point at 14-6. NJIT's Josh Gregg finished the match with a kill for a 15-7 victory and secured the Highlanders third straight 3-2 victory.
NJIT won the first set in extra points, 27-25, but the visiting Sharks, who recently upset No. 12 Lewis last week for their first win over a nationally ranked team, won the next two by identical scores, 25-22, to go ahead 2-1. NJIT responded with a convincing 25-13 victory in the fourth frame to force a fifth and deciding set.
Junior Alessandro Negri led the match with a match-best 16 kills followed by 11 from Antonio Felciano. Negri finished with a .375 hitting percentage while graduate student Carson Williams added seven kills on 11 attempts with just one error for a .545 hitting percentage. Sophomore Andrew Fedmasu combined for eight kills in the win.
Senior Griffin Fieseler piled up a match-high 40 assists to go along with eight digs, three kills and two block assists. Fieseler and Feliciano each recorded eight digs, a match-high while Williams posted a match-best five total blocks (all assists) as NJIT edged out LIU in team-blocking.
NJIT got off to a 12-6 start to begin the first frame behind four consecutive points for the Highlanders and extended its lead to 15-8 on a kill by Carson Williams. LIU went on a 10-1 run, to pull back into the match and tie the set at 20-all. NJIT scored three straight to go ahead, 23-20, but the Sharks answered with three of their own for a 23-23 score. NJIT closed out the set on a 4-1 spurt, capped by block assists by Alessandro Negri and Carson Williams to take the first set in extra points, 27-25.
Both teams went back and forth in the second frame into the early teens with neither team leading by more than three after a kill by Williams for a 16-13 lead for NJIT. LIU rallied back to go ahead by two, 20-18, after four straight points by the Sharks, resulting in an NJIT timeout. The Highlanders scored back-to-back points, to tie the set at 20-all but the Sharks used a 5-2 run to tie the match at 1-1. The set saw 10 ties and one lead change.
Down by three, 11-8, in the third set, NJIT rallied back in the third set to slim the Sharks lead to within one, 11-10, on consecutive kills by the Highlanders. LIU began to pull away using a 6-2 run to take a six-point lead, 21-15. The Highlanders cut the Shark margin to three after three straight points for a 21-18 score. NJIT fought off three set points but a kill by Gio Callazo gave LIU a 2-1 lead after a 25-22 victory.
NJIT used a 11-2 run midway through the fourth set to take an eight-point lead, 16-8, and extended its lead to 20-11, after four straight points, capped by an ace by Andrew Fedmasu. The Highlanders would force a fifth and deciding set, closing out the frame on a 5-1 run for a 25-23 victory.
LIU's Gio Callazo and Kale Spencer each posted 12 kills. Callazo combined for six service aces, leading the Sharks to a 9-to-4 advantage in that category.
NJIT will return to action and host Merrimack on Sunday at 1pm.
