Newark, N.J. – April 12, 2014 – Despite a career-best 32 kills from Luis Vega (Corozal, Puerto Rico), the Springfield College men’s volleyball team dropped its regular-season finale to NJIT on Saturday in five sets. Game scores in favor of the Highlanders were 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 18-16.

In his last regular-season match in maroon and white, senior libero Nick Ferry (Valencia, Calif.) posted a career-best 22 digs in the loss. The Sport Management major topped his previous high, where he posted 21 digs against MIT on February 27, 2013.

Freshman Sean Zuvich (San Pedro, Calif) tied his career high in kills with 18 and chipped in 12 digs and five blocks for the Pride, while junior setter Keaton Pieper (Dallas, Texas) recorded 62 assists for Springfield, also a career high. Pieper previously posted 54 assists in a five-set victory over Baruch College on March 3, 2012.

The loss snaps the Pride’s 12-match winning streak as it now stands at 24-8 on the year. Of the Pride’s eight losses this season, five have come to either Division I, II, or NAIA schools.

The Pride will wait to see its post-season fate as it hopes to earn an at-large berths to the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Championship, which will be hosted April 25-27 at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa. The field will be announced at 10 a.m. on the national selection show which will air on NCAA.com on Monday, April 14.

Vega’s 32 kills is the most for a Springfield College men’s volleyball player since AJ Nally ’10 registered 32 kills in a five-set loss to NYU on April 4, 2009.