Marist Picks Up Hard Earned Victory At NJIT

NEWARK, NJ – After falling 25-21 in the first set, the Marist volleyball team won the next three (25-18, 26-24 and 25-16) to defeat NJIT in its final non-conference matchup of the season Oct. 23. The Red Foxes improved to 8-14 overall while the Highlanders dropped to 9-17.

Sophomore Taylor van der Biezen came off the bench and picked up a double-double with 17 assists and 14 digs, both of which were second on the team. Classmate Mackenzie O’Brien slammed a match-high 14 kills and junior Kelsey Ediger hammered 12 kills and dove for nine digs.

Marist came out of a five-point hole in the opening set to go up 16-15 and force a Highlanders timeout. NJIT would score 10 of the next 15 points and take the early lead with the help of six kills on its scoring spree.

The Red Foxes’ boosted their attack percentage in the second stanza, running out to a 4-0 edge. NJIT clawed back to tie the score at 6, but Marist went ahead on a service error and maintained the lead the rest of the wat to even the match. O’Brien had five kills in the frame.
The third set was tied early and often, including once at 13. A 5-1 burst from the Red Foxes gave Marist an 18-14 lead, but the set wasn’t sealed until junior Ashton Korona and Ediger put the ball on the floor for the final two points.

In the fourth set, Marist was in front the entire time. Sophomore Melanie Snyder’s third service ace of the day gave the Red Foxes’ their biggest cushion at that point (16-10) and Marist ended its three-match losing streak.

For the Highlanders, sophomore Adriana Nieto had 18 digs and freshman Liz Benson dished out 34 of NJIT’s 39 assists in the match. As a team, NJIT hit .118 to Marist’s mark of .225. The Red Foxes also compiled a .580 sideout percentage.

Marist will return to McCann Arena for the first time in more than two weeks when it hosts Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival Quinnipiac at 7 p.m. Oct. 26.