Win against Saint Peter’s 3-1
LEWISBURG, PA—NJIT picked up its first win of the 2017 season led by sophomore transfer Madi Busler‘s match-best 15 kills in the Highlanders 3-1 victory over Saint Peter’s on day two of the Bucknell Invitational at Davis Gym.
NJIT (1-1) took the first set 25-20 but the Peacocks evened the match at 1-1 with a come-from-behind victory, 25-20, late in the set. The Highlanders answered in the third frame with a convincing 25-11 victory and went on a 14-2 run to close out the fourth set, 25-18.
In addition to Busler’s 15 kills, senior Alyssa Armada combined for an impressive .429 hitting percentage, notching 10 kills on 21 swings with just one error.
Junior Iva Mandic added eight kills while senior middle Mikalah Hughes recorded a .375 hitting percentage, combining for seven kills on 16 attempts with one error.
NJIT junior setter Emily Krachenfels piled up a match-high 34 assists while sophomore Alahna Diaz led the match with 19 digs followed by libero Adriana Nieto(16), Krachenfels (8) and Olivia Welsch (7).
Senior co-captain Adrianne Bynoe paced the match with six total blocks (all assists) Hughes and Armada added four assists each for NJIT.
The Highlanders led the service ace category, 13-7, led by Nieto’s seven aces, which ties her career-best mark (7 vs. Saint Peter’s; Sept. 13, 2016). Busler and Diaz added a pair of aces.
Saint Peter’s (0-3) Natalia Carbonell recorded a team-best seven kills followed by Alexus Sharp and Kali Viles with six apiece.
Setter Wildalys Soto added 19 assists and six digs while defensively Viles and Danielle Lopez notched 13 and 10 digs respectively for the Peacocks.
Viles and Sharp led Saint Peter’s in front of the net, combining for five total blocks each.
NJIT set the tone quickly in the first set, scoring the first four points of the match. Saint Peter’s responded with four consecutive of their own, to tie the set at 4-4.
The Highlanders scored the next six points, pushing its lead to 10-4 after a kill by Hughes. Saint Peter’s cut the Highlander deficit to four, 14-10, on a kill by Sharp and later pulled within two, 19-17, with a kill by Caitlinn Williams.
NJIT, ahead 22-18, closed out the set on 3-2 run to pick up a 25-20 win in the first set.
The second frame saw four ties and three lead changes late in the set. NJIT, down 11-16, scored nine straight points, pulling ahead, 20-16, after consecutive kills by Hughes. The Peacoks went on a 5-2 spurt, cutting the deficit to one, 21-22, resulting in an NJIT timeout.
Both teams traded points and saw its final tie of the set at 23 after a kill by Saint Peter’s. After the Highlanders second timeout, the Peacocks would score the final two points of the set, taking a 25-23 victory.
In the third frame, NJIT jumped out to a 9-3 advantage and later extended its lead to 14-5, securing the 25-11 victory.
The fourth set, which was played tight until the mid-teens, saw the Highlanders rally back down 10-17, scoring 13 consecutive points, pulling ahead, 23-17. After a point by Saint Peter’s, NJIT scored the final two points and went on to win, 25-18.
