Box Score JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Lauren Behrens (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) recorded 18 kills and 27 digs to power Saint Peter's to a 3-2 non-conference women's volleyball victory against NJIT on Wednesday.
Behrens notched her sixth kills and digs double-double with a season high in digs and her second-most kills in a match this season. The senior was also a key cog in the second set, serving the Peacocks (2-10) to five-straight points.
Amanda Colombo (Wallington, N.J./Wallington) added 11 kills while Marlena Budna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) added 12 digs and eight kills and Kenyale McGinnis (Irving, Texas/Irving) posted 10 digs and seven kills in the winning effort.
Danica Vukotic led the Highlanders (4-12) with 25 digs and 24 kills and Nina Vukotic added 17 digs and 14 digs in the loss.
Saint Peter's had a match point taken away from them in the third set on an attack error call, but the Peacocks pulled out their first win of the year at the Yanitelli Center in the fifth set.
NJIT jumped out to a 7-4 edge in the fifth set before Saint Peter's stormed back to tie the match at 7, 9 and 14. With the set tied at 14, a pair of attack errors secured the five-set victory.
The Peacocks jumped out to a two set lead on the night. In the first set and tied at 7, a service error and a kill by McGinnis gave Saint Peter's the advantage in the set for good at 9-7. With the Peacocks holding a 16-14 edge, Saint Peter's scored nine of the final 11 points sparked by a pair of kills by Colombo and Budna for a 25-16 first-set win.
Saint Peter's took the margin from the first point in the second set and never lost the lead. With the Peacocks holding a 12-10 margin, the Peacocks used an 8-2 run to help put the set away keyed by five-straight points while Behrens serving en route to a 25-20 second-set victory and a two sets to love lead.
In the third set, the Highlanders jumped out to 12-5 and 18-12 margins. Trailing 20-14, the Jersey City team posted eight of the next 10 points to tie the set at 22. NJIT had two set points and Saint Peter's had a match-point opportunity, but with the set tied at 27 an attack error and an ace sent the match to a fourth set with a 29-27 win.
The fourth set was a battle just like the third with the two teams battling back and forth, but with the set tied at 20 the Highlanders scored five of the final seven points to earn the 25-22 win to force a fifth and decisive set that the Peacocks pulled out with a 16-14 decision to win the match.
Greta Varvell (San Jose, Calif./Branham) added 11 digs and five kills and Kaitlyn Sitton (Brush Praire, Wash./Praire) had a team-best 36 assists.
Saint Peter's returns to action on Saturday at Fairfield. Match time is 1 p.m.
