Box Score by Kevin Buczek
NEWARK, N.J.-Freshman Chad Stanback Jr. registered a team-high nine kills on a season-best .133 hitting percentage for visiting Barton College in a 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 19-25, 25-18) road loss at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Thursday evening in the Fleisher Center.
Junior libero Michael McMahon, who ranks third in NCAA Division I-II in digs per set, added a match-high 17 digs but the Bulldogs were unable to overcome a 2-0 set deficit.
NJIT moved back over .500 at 2-1 overall and was led by Jabarry Goodridge's 11 kill performance. Setter Zak Robben made 35 assists as four Highlander players tallied at least eight kills. TJ Jurko and Ryan Thomas both had nine spikes and Raphael Anthony totaled eight.
Barton made 16 service errors without any aces in falling to 2-4 overall. The Bulldogs next visit another DI foe in George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Juniors Zach McCalla and Brennan O'Connor followed Stanback with seven and six kills, respectively. Freshman setter Federico Pagliara supplied 25 assists. Stanback and junior Tanner Medina each contributed on three blocks.
The Bulldogs hit over .100 for only the second time this season at .130 but the Highlanders fired almost 100 points better at .221 including a staggering .400 in the fourth set to close out the match.
NJIT broke a 9-9 tie in the first with a 12-4 run to pull out to an eight-point advantage it would maintain on set point. The Highlanders then took the commanding 2-nil advantage with the squads most dominating set in the second. NJIT served up six aces in the 10-point win including four by Jurko.
Barton forced a fourth set by posting a .208 hitting percentage and logging three of its six blocks in the third. The close set featured 18 ties and eight lead changes. NJIT led as late as 18-17 but the Bulldogs won eight of the next nine points to extend the contest. Junior Ladislav participated in a pair of BC blocks in the final stretch run.
The Highlanders answered by never trailing in the fourth. Barton stayed close at 17-16 on a McCalla kill but NJIT won the next four points to gain some wiggle room before the Highlanders 11th and 12th aces of the night proved too much late.
Jurko served up half of NJIT's dozen aces.
Barton has alternated wins and losses over its last four matches but will have a tough task in keeping that trend going at George Mason on Friday as the Patriots were picked four spots ahead of NJIT in the primarily DI Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association league.
