Box Score
(11-13-09) LOWELL, Mass. - The University of New Haven women's volleyball team fell 3-2 to eighth seeded Southern Connecticut State University in their Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinal match Friday night at UMass Lowell. With the loss the Chargers are eliminated from the conference championship and drop their first match to a NE-10 team since joining the conference prior to the 2008 season.
The first set went in the favor of the Owls in a closely contested 27-25 set. The Chargers were the first to put a point on the board, but it was an even matchup throughout the set as the Owls continually brought the score back to a tie. UNH was a point for taking the first set at 24-22, but SCSU fought back to tie it 25-25. They then took the next two points for a 1-0 lead in the match.
UNH came back with avenges in the second set to tie the match at 1-1. The Chargers took an early lead and never looked back en route to a 25-17 win. Keidy Canderlaria and Sara Malmlov added six and four kills, respectively, while Chelsey Alpough tallied 14 assists in the second set.
The Owls countered the Charger attack with an assault of their own, taking claim to the third set, 25-19. The Chargers were unable to battle back from margins as large as six points, while SCSU kept the momentum in its favor throughout the third stanza.
Determined not to be upset in the opening round of the tournament, Malmlov used her experience to help guide the Chargers through the fourth set to tie the match 2-2. Midway through the set, the momentum shifted in favor of the top-seeded Chargers as New Haven never let the Owls get very close. At 24-16, SCSU tried to make a run for the lead, but New Haven eventually shut the Owls down to win, 25-19.
In the final fifth set, New Haven led until Southern Connecticut tied the score at 11-11. The Owls took the final four points to complete the upset.
Malmlov led the Chargers with 19 kills, while Candelaria added 18 kills. The freshman also led the team with a .325 hitting percentage and was second on the team with 21 digs. Elizabeth Akinibiyi also tallied double figure kills with 12. Alpough totaled 55 assists, while Heather Ladao led the UNH back row with 28 digs.
With the loss the Charger fall to 24-5 overall and now will wait to see who they face in the opening round of the NCAA East Region tournament which starts next week.
