SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Time to make room in the trophy case as the University of New Haven volleyball team won its fifth Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Saturday, defeating fifth seeded Adelphi University in four sets (25-14, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20) at AIC's Butova Gymnasium. Leading the Chargers was sophomore Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) who was named the NE-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player after securing her third straight triple double.
HIGHLIGHTS
· Rios closed out the NE-10 tournament with a triple double in all three matches, finishing the championship with 10 kills, 20 assists and 15 digs. Along with her Most Outstanding Player accolade, Rios was one of two players named the NE-10 All-Tournament team. In addition to her triple double, Rios finished with a .286 hitting average, closing out the match without an error in 35 attempts.
· Joining Rios in earning All-Tournament honors was senior outside hitter Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) who finished the title match with a team-high 15 kills and a .200 hitting average. She also added 20 digs to complete a double double.
· As a team, New Haven finished the match hitting .217 with a combined 56 kills and 22 errors in 157 total attempts. Captaining the Blue and Gold offense was Rios and senior setter Annika Hacker (Bayreuth, Germany/Littleton (Colo.)) who also finished with 20 assists.
· Junior Caroline Martins (Tres Pontas, Brazil) and freshman Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) rounded out the leading hitters for New Haven, finishing with 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
· Defensively, the Chargers were led by Kennelly's 20 digs, one of four players in double figures. Freshman libero Charleigh Crews (Naples, Fla./Seacrest Country Day) finished just behind her with 17 digs, while Rios (15) and Hacker (11) rounded out the defensive leaders.
· As a team, the Chargers combined for seven service aces, led by Rios who finished with four.
· The Blue and Gold also combined for nine total blocks, compared to seven for the Panthers. Leading the way was Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) who finished with four total.
UP NEXT
The Chargers advance to the NCAA Division II Championship for the 11th straight year and will learn their first round regional opponent during a live selection show on Monday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. Click Here to watch the show.
2016 Northeast-10 Championship
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, November 15
Match 1 :: #8 Pace 3, #1 Le Moyne 1
Match 2 :: #2 American International 3, #7 Bentley 1
Match 3 :: #3 New Haven 3, #6 Franklin Pierce 1
Match 4 :: #5 Adelphi 3, #4 Saint Anselm 1
Semifinals - Friday, November 18 - at American International
Match 5 :: #3 New Haven 3 vs. #2 American International 2
Match 6 :: #5 Adelphi 3 vs. #8 Pace 2
Championship - Saturday, November 19 - at American International
Match 7 :: #3 New Haven 3 vs. #5 Adelphi 1
