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NJIT will try to pull off a program first in 2022.
The EIVA school that is winless all-time against schools currently in the Big West has scheduled a road non-conference match against CSUN on March 3.
This match-up — the fourth between the two schools since their series started in 2009 — was announced as part of CSUN recently unveiling its 2022 regular season schedule.
NJIT is a combined 0-11 versus all six teams in the Big West, including a three-game loss to CSUN most recently in 2018. The Matadors and Highlanders were slated to play each other in 2020 but that match was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite their losing streak to the Big West, the Highlanders enter the upcoming season after one of their most successful seasons in program history.
NJIT advanced to the 2021 EIVA Tournament semifinals and was No. 14 in the national coaches poll — its highest ranking ever to end a season. Among the starters returning for NJIT is All-EIVA opposite Julian Meissner who was among the national leaders averaging both a 4.28 kills per game and a 0.39 aces per game average last season.
CSUN during the 2021 season upset then-No. 7/6 Long Beach State as it finished in fifth place in the Big West and reached the conference tournament quarterfinals. All-Big West middle attacker Daniel Wetter also returns after ending last season with a team-high 2.68 kills per game average and being eighth in the nation with a .442 attack percentage.
The Matadors will have three home non-conference matches against East Coast schools in 2022. Along with playing NJIT, CSUN will face Erskine from the ConfCarolinas in its open homer on Jan. 15 and then play the 2019 EIVA champions Princeton on Jan. 19.
2022 CSUN regular season schedule
Jan. 6 vs. Concordia-Irvine (at UC Santa Barbara)
Jan. 7 vs.USC (at UC Santa Barbara)
Jan. 8 vs. UCLA (at UC Santa Barbara)
Jan. 15 vs. Erskine
Jan. 19 vs. Princeton
Jan. 27 at UCLA
Jan. 28 vs.Cal Lutheran
Feb. 4 vs. UC Merced
Feb. 9 vs. Vanguard
Feb. 10 at USC
Feb. 19 at Stanford
Feb. 23 St. Katherine
Feb. 26 vs. Stanford
March 3 vs. NJIT
March 10 at UC Santa Barbara
March 11 vs. UC Santa Barbara
March 16 at Pepperdine
March 18 vs. Pepperdine
March 25 at Hawai’i
March 26 at Hawai’i
March 31 at UC San Diego
April 2 vs. UC San Diego
April 8 vs. UC Irvine
April 9 at UC Irvine
April 15 at Long Beach State
April 16 vs. Long Beach State