Sophomore Nicole Deobler paced the Siena Saints with 17 kills on offense, while Brooke Rogers stole the show at the net collecting nine blocks as the green and gold fought back from a 2-0 set deficit to defeat the NJIT Highlanders by a final score of 3-2 (23-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-12). With the win, the Saints complete their midweek slate for the season, with only four weekend games remaining before the MAAC Championships.

Rogers was also second on the team in kills, as she put up eight while hitting .278. Sophomore JoJo Ishida was also a force on defense, as she notched 21 digs for the Saints (3-24). Sophomore Jessica Eblin tossed out 28 assists, while classmate Dakota Jackson also had a strong showing with six kills and six blocks.

For NJIT (4-24), Jovana Baosic almost matched Deobler with 16 kills on the night, while Madi Busler snagged a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Udo Nwosu also had 10 kills for the Highlanders, as Liz Benson ran the offense to 21 assists. Defensively, Adirana Nieto led NJIT with 18 digs.

"I was really pleased with the intensity and the ability to compete under pressure tonight," said head coach Vilis Ozols. "They did a great job of coming back from two down and then even being down in the fifth and coming back with quality volleyball at crunch time. Nicole showed herself to be a true leader of the team when it counted most offensively, and JoJo was the same on defense and that was huge for us."

Siena opened the match strong, climbing out to an early 7-2 lead. Both sides would battle through the middle of the set, playing to a 17-14 Siena lead. The Saints would lose control of the set thanks to a Highlanders 5-0 run to swing a three point deficit to a two point lead. Despite a short run at the end of the set to come within one at 24-23, a service error by Siena gave NJIT their 25^th point, giving the Highlanders the 1-0 lead.

The second set belonged to NJIT, as they led the set from start to finish. Strong play from Baosic paved the way for a 25-15 win for the Highlanders. The Saints would struggle offensively, hitting .061 with six attack errors.

The script would flip in the third set, as it would be the Saints to take the win by a score of 25-22. Siena would lead the whole way, but made it close toward the end of the set. With the score 24-15, NJIT turned on a 7-0 run to make the score 24-22. However, a kill by Deobler shut the door and sent the match to a fourth set.

Jackson would open the fourth set scoring for the Saints with a pair of kills, kick starting the offense to a comeback victory once again. The Saints, behind the hot hand of Deobler who had four kills in the set, took the win 25-20. Junior Camila Davila collected the kill to clinch the set.

The fifth and final set did not disappoint, as the Saints trailed early, 4-0. However, they came back, took the lead at 10-9 and never looked back. Deobler capped the match with a kill, giving Siena the victory.

The Saints return to action this Saturday, November 3 when they head to Connecticut to take on Fairfield. First serve goes up at 1 p.m.