BOX SCORE

WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven women's volleyball team defeated Pace University in a very close five set match at Charger Gymnasium (25-19, 29-27, 23-25, 19-25, 18-16). With the win, the topped seeded New Haven improved to 22-6 on the season, while Pace concluded its season at 20-11.

In a match of back-and-forth runs, the Chargers pulled off the victory to stay alive in the NCAA postseason. Both teams had match points in the fifth set, but a block gave the Chargers the match-winning point.

The Chargers hit at a .224 clip with 69 kills and 21 errors on 214 attempts. Junior outside hitting Keidy Candelaria (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Bayamon Military Academy) led the team with 24 kills and a season-high 82 attempts. She added 22 digs and one block in the win. Middle Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) added double-digit kills with 14, while adding three total kills. Elizabeth Akinbiyi (Miami Gardens, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna Prep.) also tallied 10 kills in the match. Defensively, freshman Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha) led the team with 27 digs, while Heather Ladao (West Covina, Calif./Rowland ) added 26 digs. Setter Chelsey Alpough (Torrance, Calif./South / Western New Mexico Univ. ) handed out 53 assists in the match as well.

New Haven will return to action on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when they take on the winner of the fourth match between (4) Adelphi and (5) Stonehill. The winner of Friday's match will advance to the East Region Championship match on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. For complete coverage of the 2011 NCAA Division II East Region Championship, visit tournament central at www.NewHavenChargers.com/NCAAVolleyball.