CHARLESTON, W.Va. – UC Men's Volleyball couldn't overcome a slow start Friday evening against NJIT, falling to the Highlanders in straight sets at the Wehrle Athletic Arena

Just the Basics
SCORE -   University of Charleston 0, NJIT 3 (15-25, 17-25, 23-25)
TEAM RECORDS - Charleston (10-11, 0-8 EIVA), NJIT (12-7, 5-3 EIVA)

Game Leaders
-Ryan Santos led Charleston in kills with 11, hitting at .121 against the Highlanders.
-Byron Hurd was UC's most effective attacker, swinging at .353 with 9 kills on 17 attempts.
-Junior setter Anthony Rivera handed out 27 assists on 32 Charleston kills
-Libero Darrin DePellegrini led the match with 11 digs on defense.
-NJIT's Raymond Kowalski was the match's MVP, leading the Highlander attack with 12 kills while adding 3 aces.

How it Happened
-The Highlanders overwhelmed the Golden Eagles to start the match, jumping out to a quick 11-3 advantage, eventually taking the set 25-15.  NJIT was paced by the solid play of Kowalski who closed out the set with 5 kills and 3 aces.
-UC got off to a better start in the 2^nd set but faltered late in the set allowing the Highlanders to secure the set 25-17, using a 6-2 run to hold off UC who had trimmed the lead to 19-15.
-Charleston played their most competitive set in the 3^rd and for a moment looked as if the match would head to a 4^th set but NJIT prevailed 25-23.  UC led for much of the set and held a 20-17 late but the Golden Eagles made some critical errors down the stretch that let the Highlanders end the match on an 8-3 run.

Up Next
-Charleston faces the same Highlander team on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. as part of their two-game series with NJIT.