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 Senior Leonardo Paludo posts team-high 17 kilss |
March 29, 2008
NEWARK, NJ - Visiting Juniata got a match-high 20 kills from sophomore Zach Wanner and defeated NJIT, 3-1, in a pivotal Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division tilt Saturday night in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center.
Although both teams are set with berths in the upcoming EIVA playoffs, the Highlanders could have pulled even with Juniata in the Tait Division standings with a win. Instead, the Eagles, who defeated NJIT, 3-2, when the teams met on February 23 at Juniata, are now 5-5 in the EIVA Tait, while the Highlanders fall to 3-7 with two regular season matches left.
Juniata took the first game with relative ease, 30-23, before the rejuvenated Highlanders answered with a dominant 30-21 win in game two. NJIT appeared poised to take the third set, but Juniata rallied for a 31-29 win. The fourth game was close until late, before Juniata made a final surge to win, 30-25, clinching the match victory.
After Wanner, Juniata got 12 kills and just one error in 20 attacks (.550 attack percentage) from Dan Powers and Matt Fritz added 11 kills.
Matt Werle had 48 assists and took part in a strong floor defense for the Eagles, collecting 11 digs. Libero Anthony Damiano had a match-best 13 digs and Fritz chipped in 10. Dan Powers topped the Juniata blockers with three block assists.
NJIT had a 9-5 blocking advantage and an 8-2 edge in service aces, but Juniata was more efficient on the attack (.282 team hitting percentage to .203 for the Highlanders) and the Eagles also thwarted more than their share of NJIT attacks with high quality digs.
Leonardo Paludo led the Highlanders with 17 kills, followed by Amobi Armstrong (13 kills) and Eduardo Welter (11).
Rodrigo Correa set 46 assists for NJIT and shared match serving honors with teammate Greg Wagner, as each man collected two aces. Chris Siddayao's 12 digs led the Highlanders, followed by Paludo's 10. Charles Bell had four blocks (one solo, three assists) and Wagner finished with four block assists.
Juniata took a quick 8-4 lead to start the match, before NJIT pulled back to within a point, 9-10, on an ace by Bell. But Juniata never relinquished lead and took complete control with an 8-1 spurt from 15-14 to 23-15.
The Highlanders dominated the second game throughout, building an early 10-4 lead and never leading by fewer than five points for the rest of the game. The third game was the closest of the four, but NJIT appeared to gain the upper hand with 4-1 spurt that put the Highlanders on top, 20-16. However, Juniata would not go away and came back to tie the score at 25 after trailing, 18-22.
There were five ties from point 25 on, but the Eagles broke a 29-29 tie and won on a kill by Wanner and an NJIT attack error.
The fourth game was somewhat similar to the third, as NJIT went up, 12-9, after a service ace for Welter. But Juniata spurted again, 7-3, and claimed the lead, 16-15. NJIT nonetheless led as late as 22-21, but Juniata scored five straight points--three on Highlander attack errors to take control for good.
The Highlanders will play their final regular season home match of the season on Wednesday at 7 pm against EIVA Tait Division foe Princeton. The match in the Estelle and Zoom Fleisher Athletic Center will be preceded by Senior Night ceremonies honoring the six NJIT seniors--Matthew Sasso, Mike Nonnenmann, Paludo, Welter, Siddayao and Wagner.
