Box Score (.pdf)

Newark, N.J. – Madison Haake recorded her 16^th double-double of the season, and Emily Koelling had a team-high 17 kills, as the USC Upstate volleyball team concluded a three-match road trip Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 (21-25, 26-24, 17-25, 16-25) defeat to the NJIT Highlanders inside the Fleisher Center.

Upstate falls to 11-14 on the season and 3-5 in league play, while NJIT improves to 9-16 overall and 1-7 in the conference.

STATS OF THE MATCH

• Koelling led the Spartans offensively after falling just one kill shy of tying her career-high with 17 and hit .389 for the match. It marked the second time this season that the senior posted 17 kills with the other coming in a home win over Charlotte.
• Haake picked up a double-double after dishing out 38 assists and adding 12 digs. Haake was one of four players that had double-digit digs led by Kaleigh Kelley with 19.
• Katarzyna Klocek had a match-high 18 kills for the Highlanders and contributed a double-double on 10 digs. Liz Benson also tallied a double-double on 48 assists and 10 digs.
• NJIT out-hit Upstate .238 to .134 for the match.

• Set One:  The teams traded the first 12 points of the first set before the Highlanders went ahead 16-12 after going on a 10-6 run. The Spartans fought back to even the frame at 19-19 on a kill from Koelling and went up the following play on a bad set. Another bad set a couple of plays later kept the score tied at 21-21. NJIT scored the final four points to win 25-21.
• Set Two:  Upstate held an early 10-7 lead in the second set on a service ace by Tamara Kaiser. The Spartans took their largest lead of the set at 16-11 after a bad set by the Highlanders. NJIT rallied back to lead 24-21 late, but Upstate staged a comeback of their own after that. Down 24-21, the Spartans recorded the last five points, with two coming on kills from Koelling, to capture the set 26-24.
• Set Three:  Upstate stayed within one to begin the third set and trailed 7-6 on a Highlander attack error. NJIT broke the set open courtesy of an 11-6 run and went in front 18-12 with a combination block. The Highlanders went on to take the set 25-17 on back-to-back service aces.
• Set Four:  NJIT collected seven of the first 10 points of the fourth set and went up by four on a combination block. The Spartans cut their deficit down to three points twice after that beginning at 7-4 when Dominique Arnold and Brianna Tellschow teamed up for a block. The Highlanders benefitted from a 9-4 run and led 16-8 midway. NJIT closed out the frame by scoring four of the last five points for the 25-16 triumph.

• Upstate returns home on Friday, Oct. 28 when it hosts Lipscomb at 6 p.m.