NJIT has notched a number of notable accomplishments during the 2026 season, finishing second in the EIVA regular season, boasting one of only three undefeated home records in the nation and spending the last 11 weeks in the AVCA rankings.
A major reason for the Highlanders’ success is Andre Aleixo – who was honored April 21, 2026, as the EIVA’s Tom Tait Memorial Freshman of the Year, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches.
Aleixo ranks second on his team and 10th in the EIVA at 2.86 kills per set, is fifth in the EIVA in aces per set (0.32) and eighth in points per set (3.47). He played in 92 of the Highlanders’ 93 sets this season, and proved his value on the defensive side as well, ranking fourth on NJIT at 46 blocks and 0.50 blocks per set, second on the team at 144 digs and 1.57 digs per set and leading the team with 569 service receptions, with a .921 receiving percentage.
The freshman outside hitter, who was twice named an EIVA Player of the Week, had a pair of double-doubles this season – in the Highlanders first and last matches – and had double figures in kills 15 times, with a career-high 16 vs. Jessup on Jan. 17.
The Highlanders (18-8, 9-3) posted a 14-0 home record in 2026, joining No. 1 UCLA and UMES as the only Division I-II programs with unblemished marks on their home court. Their 18 wins are the team’s most since 19 wins in 2007, and NJIT is on a roll by winning its last five matches and 18 of its last 21.
Aleixo is the third EIVA freshman of the Year for the program, joining Julian Meissner (2020) and Alvaro Gimeno (2018).
NJIT is the No. 2 seed for the EIVA Tournament Championship and next plays April 23 against the winner of the first-round match between George Mason and Princeton.