UNION, N.J. (1/29/13) – The No. 14 Kean University men's volleyball team earned its first-ever victory over a Division I school on Tuesday night as the Cougars won a 3-2 matchup with intrastate rival New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Senior Steve Vahalla (Bloomfield, N.J.) led the way for Kean with 17 kills and five aces.
NJIT took the first set by a score of 25-17, sealing the opening-set win on a kill by Herman Kantushov (Qiryat, Ohio) from Matthew Lui (Aiea, Hawaii). Kantushov led the Highlanders with 16 kills on the night and Lui would finish with a team-high 26 assists.
Kean battled in extra-time to win the second set. Down 28-27, Vahalla earned a kill to tie the score, served an ace for the lead and the Cougars forced an NJIT error to win the set 30-28 and knot the match at one set apiece.
The Highlanders again won handily in the third set (25-14), setting the stage for the Cougar comeback.
Midway through the fourth set, John Cunningham (Cinnaminson, N.J.) served four-straight points for Kean to give the team some breathing room. The Cougars would steadily enhance their lead with each rotation and set up the decisive fifth set.
Kean dropped the first point but earned the next three in a row – two coming on consecutive aces by Vahalla. However, NJIT answered the challenge and tied the match back up at four. Again with Cunningham (pictured left) serving, the Cougars ripped off a big five-point run that put them up 9-6. NJIT would get within one at 12-11, but Kean capped the comeback when Kyle Farley (Cherry Hill, N.J.) sent Alex Barnhard's (Old Bridge, N.J.) set down on the Highlander side for the 15th and final point of the fifth.
Kean evened its record at 2-2 while the Highlanders fell to 1-5 despite winning the night's aggregate score 111-101.
The Cougars will be back in action in a Skyline Conference matchup with Ramapo College at noon on Sunday.
