NEWARK, N.J. — Outside hitter Kyle McCauley hammered a career-high 27 kills but it wasn't enough as the 12th-ranked UC San Diego men's volleyball team suffered a 3-2 loss on the road at NJIT Friday.

The Tritons went up 2-0 in the non-conference match, but the Highlanders came back and won the next three sets to complete the upset. Scores were 22-25, 17-25, 25-16, 31-29, and 15-10 at the Wellness and Events Center.

Both teams are now 2-2 on the young season. 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego started very strong, hitting .281 (13-4-32) in the opening set and upping that to an outstanding .444 (17-5-27) in the second frame for a two-set hitting percentage of .356 (30-9-59). Conversely, NJIT began with a .115 (8-5-26) followed by a .100 (9-6-30) for a combined .107 (17-11-56).

At 10-10 in set one, NJIT was able to gain its first lead at 11-10. At 13-11, UC San Diego turned it on and won seven of the next eight points to go ahead 18-14 and the Tritons would stay ahead from there. Middle Shane Benetz was in on two blocks during that run. At 24-20, the Highlanders were able to stave off three set points but then committed a service error that put UC San Diego up 1-0.

It was all Tritons in the second set. Tied 3-3, UC San Diego reeled off a 9-2 run, giving the visitors a 12-5 advantage. NJIT got back within four points at 19-15, but the Tritons responded with a 6-2 run to close it out and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Benetz and McCauley contributed two kills each during the winning run.  

Things changed mightily in the third set. The Highlanders hit .500 (10-1-18) to the Tritons' .067 (11-9-30). Tied early at 2-2, NJIT went on a 5-0 run to take the lead, which it held for the remainder of the set. A later three-point run put the Highlanders up by 10, 19-9. UC San Diego battled and cut its deficit to six at 22-16, but the Highlanders won the next three points to take the set and make the match 2-1 in favor of the Tritons.

Tied at 8-8 in the long fourth frame, UC San Diego used a 5-1 run that made it 13-9. With the Tritons ahead by six points at 19-13, the Highlanders mounted a 6-1 run to get back within a single point at 20-19. NJIT tied it at 21-21 on a Carson Williams kill and soon after used back-to-back kills from Julian Meissner and Alessandro Negri to move in front, 24-23. It was the first time the Highlanders had led since 5-4. From that point on, NJIT had four set points and UC San Diego had three. Trailing by just one point at 29-28, the Highlanders won three-straight points to send the match to a fifth set.

The deciding set saw NJIT get out to a 5-1 lead as Jens Feldthus put down four kills during that span. The Highlanders were able to maintain a lead the rest of the way. A four-point run had the home team in front by a 10-5 count. The Tritons turned aside one match point on a kill by outside Wyatt Harrison that made the score 14-10. However, Feldthus struck again, this time flooring a kill that completed the upset victory for the Highlanders.

Overall, UC San Diego led in kills (65-59), digs (48-44) and assists (61-56), while NJIT held advantages in blocks (10-6) and service aces (7-4). The Tritons made 19 errors from the service line.

Harrison joined McCauley in double-figure kills with 13. McCauley ended his night with a .393 (27-5-56) attack percentage, while Harrison (13-4-27) and middle Logan Clark (8-3-15) both finished at .333. Benetz totaled five blocks (one solo) and libero Matt Palma led all players with a career-high 15 digs.

NJIT was led by Feldthus, who amassed 18 kills. Negri had 15 kills and Meissner finished with 14. Negri also added three aces to his totals and Meissner had a match-high six blocks.

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TRITON TIDBITS
• The last time (and first time) these two teams met was January 14, 2012, in Phoenix, Ariz. The Tritons won...in five sets.
• The last time UC San Diego won the first two sets and ended up losing in five sets was on Feb. 9, 2018, at Concordia Irvine.
• Kyle McCauley's previous career-best for kills was 24 at UC Irvine on Feb. 15, 2020.
• McCauley has led the Tritons in kills in all four matches this season. He has posted at least 14 kills in all four outings.
• Matt Palma's previous career-high in digs was 14, which he had on two occasions.
• It was the first road match and first five-set match for the Tritons this season.

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UP NEXT
The Tritons remain in a snowy New Jersey to take on Princeton on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 3 p.m. Pacific.

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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.