BOX SCORE

WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven women's volleyball team dropped a four-set match, 1-3 (17-25, 25-22, 26-28, 20-25), to Dowling College Friday night at Charger Gymnasium. With the loss, the Chargers fell to 17-5 on the season, while the Golden Lions improved to 22-3.

After back-and-forth play opened the first set, the Chargers and Golden Lions were tied at 17-17 heading into the final points of the set. Behind the service of Elizabeth Gorman, Dowling rattled off eight straight points to take a 25-17 victory in the opening set.

In set two, New Haven took a slight 11-7 lead in the earlt stages, but Dowling would battle back. The Golden Lions tied the set at 17-17 after a 4-0 run and took a 20-19 lead later in the set. The Chargers rallied, with three kills from Keidy Candelaria (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Bayamon Military Academy) to take a 25-22 win and even the match at one set each.

The third set went into extra points after a point-for-point battle through the first 25 points. The Chargers, who trailed 10-6, midway through the set to take a 17-15 lead, but Dowling answered a later gained a 22-20 advantage. UNH then scored three straight to take a 23-22 lead. The teams would continue to exchange points before Dowling scored three straight to take a 27-26 lead. A kill by Dowling's Bethany Shepard sealed the 28-26 victory for the Golden Lions, who took a 2-1 lead in the match.

After UNH jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set, Dowling quickly rebounded and took over. The Golden Lions battled back and went on a 10-2 run in order to take a 13-9 advantage. Dowling would hold on to the lead for the remainder of the set, not letting the Chargers within two points and eventually took a 25-20 win for its 22nd victory of the season.

Led by the arm of Candelaria, the Chargers totaled 56 kills and a .165 team hitting percentage. The junior recorded 24 kills on 68 attempts with 10 errors for a .206 hitting percentage. Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) led the team with a .391 hitting percentage, adding 12 kills and two total blocks. Heather Ladao (West Covina, Calif./Rowland ) recorded 18 digs, while Chelsey Alpough (Torrance, Calif./South / Western New Mexico Univ. ) handed out 44 assists.

New Haven returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, October 29 when they host a tri-match at Charger Gymnasium. UNH takes on Stonehill College at 12 p.m. followed by Shippensburg University at 5 p.m. Stonehill and Shippensburg will also face off in a 2:30 p.m. match. For complete live coverage, find links online at www.NewHavenChargers.com.