Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3

NEWARK, NJ – Senior middle blocker Brett Pickens paced a balanced Rutgers University-Newark effort in a 3-2 win over New York University in the final contest of a tri-match in The Golden Dome Arena.  The Scarlet Raiders fell to Princeton, 3-0, in an EIVA battle to begin the day.

Sophomore opposite Travis Mintzer and freshman outside hitter Jack Fredricks had two kills apiece as the Raiders reeled off the final seven points of the 22-25, 25-14, 25-20, 16-25, 15-9 victory.

Pickens notched 16 points on nine kills while getting on a career-high 11 blocks with three solos and eight blocking assists to help Rutgers-Newark (5-9, EIVA 0-7) pile up a season-high 15.0 blocks.

Sophomore middle hitter Cody Chidsey posted nine kills with a service ace while getting in on three blocks for 12.0 points.  Sophomore outside hitter Colin Ferguson hammered down a match-high 10 kills while taking part in two blocks.  Fredricks came up with a team-high 10 digs while adding seven kills, an ace and a blocking assist.

Sophomore setter Kevin McCandless tallied 28 assists with an ace while taking part in eight blocks and making seven digs.  Sophomore libero Jeremy Kelly added nine digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Phil Bueno paced the Violets (12-9) with eight kills, two aces and three blocking assists while sophomore outside hitter Colin LaPorte registered a team-high nine kills and an ace.  Freshman setter Patrick Merrick distributed 36 assists while making a dozen digs while junior libero Andrew Quirk worked for a match-high 14 digs.

In the fifth game, the Violets rallied from a 7-5 deficit to take a 9-8 lead on triple block by Merrick, freshman middle blocker Sean Leahy and freshman outside hitter Jacob Getz.  But that was the final point for NYU.

A Fredricks kill set up McCandless for the final six serves.  Chidsey put the Raiders ahead for good with a solo block before Mintzer hammered down a kill.  After an NYU timeout, McCandless followed a Violet attack error with an ace.  Fredricks and Mintzer put down back-to-back kills to end the 1-hour, 40-minute battle.

NYU got five kills from LaPorte to take game one as the Raiders hit in negative numbers.

Ferguson had seven kills and Pickens got in on five of the Raiders' seven blocks over the next two frames to put Rutgers-Newark ahead in the fray.

The Violets leveled the match by hitting .407 (15 kills, four errors, 27 attacks) in the fourth frame with Getz and freshman outside hitter Will Kozloski contributing four kills apiece.

Rutgers-Newark posted its first 5-game victory of the season after having lost at NJIT in five on March 6 in its only other extended contest.

AGAINST PRINCETON, Mintzer led the Scarlet Raiders with nine points on seven kills and a pair of solo blocks while Fredricks added a team-high eight kills.  Game scores were 25-23, 25-18, 25-19.

Fredricks had five kills in the opening game when the Raiders stayed on the Tigers' heels until the final point before Princeton took control of the match by hitting .526 (12 kills, 2 errors, 19 attacks) in the second set.

There were eight ties and five lead changes in the third frame before senior outside hitter Jeff Stapleton had the first and last kills in a string of four in a row by the Tigers to put the visitors ahead for good at 14-11.

Stapleton finished with eight kills and an ace Princeton while sophomore outside hitter Devin Stearns notched a match-high 16 points with 13 kills, an ace, a solo block and two blocking assists.  Junior outside hitter Cody Kessel had a dozen kills with just one error on 20 swings to help the Tigers (9-7, EIVA 7-2) hit .384 (45-12.86).  Freshman setter Chris Kennedy collected 33 assists for Princeton.

McCandless totaled 26 assists for Rutgers-Newark while Pickens added three kills, a pair of aces and a blocking assist.

Princeton stopped NYU, 25-21, 25-20, 27-25, in the second contest in the tri-match.

Rutgers-Newark will play three games in South Carolina this week, taking on Limestone College on Thursday at 7 p.m. before participating in a tri-match with host Coker College and Belmont Abbey on Friday.