Princeton University Athletics
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NJIT Rallies To Upset, Eliminate Men's Volleyball Squad
April 19, 2008 | Men's Volleyball
A trio of NJIT hitters put away 54 kills, four fewer than the entire Princeton squad, to lead the resilient Highlanders to a 3-2 comeback win over Princeton in a tense 3-2 quarterfinal victory Saturday night at Dillon Gym. The win sends NJIT to an EIVA quarterfinal matchup with George Mason, while Princeton ended its season with an 11-9 record.
Princeton sprinted out of the gates with 30-23 and 30-24 victories. NJIT controlled all of game three, but found itself down 25-20 in the fourth game. From that point, the Highlanders won 25 of the next 37 points to close with 30-28 and 15-9 wins. Senior Eduardo Welter led all players with 24 kills, while Amobi Armstrong and Leonardo Paludo combined for 30 kills. Princeton was led by Phil Rosenberg, who had a team-best 14 kills, and Mike Vincent, who recorded a .474 hitting percentage and added six assisted blocks.
The match intensity was high from the start. Not only was a spot in the EIVA semifinal on the line, but both teams had raucous sections of student support in the Dillon bleachers. The Princeton fans were the happier at first, as the Tigers hit .353 and .462 in the first two games to seize control of the match. Princeton grabbed a big lead early in the first game and fought from a run of sideouts in the second game to build the late lead.
Any hopes of a sweep went away in a flash. Game three started with a 7-0 NJIT run on the serve of Paludo, whose heroic serving run at home helped NJIT past Princeton in the regular season. The Highlanders never let Princeton back into the game and cruised to a 30-20 win.
The fourth game was nip and tuck until a 5-0 Princeton run, coming on the Rosenberg serve, sent Princeton to a 21-17 lead. It would get to 25-20, but NJIT came back with a pair of blocks and a kill to get within two points. An ace and two more Highlander blocks got the score to 28-28, and the visitors scored the final two points to win the critical fourth game. With momentum squarely in its corner, NJIT hit a match-best .769 in the fifth game to close the match.