BOX SCORE

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven women's volleyball team came back from a 2-1 deficit and defeated Southern Connecticut State University in five sets (25-20, 19-25, 26-28, 25-23, 15-8) Tuesday night at Pelz Gymnasium. With the win, the Chargers improved to 7-4 overall and 3-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Owls fell to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in the NE-10.

Keidy Candelaria (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Bayamon Military Academy) led the team with 20 kills, while adding seven errors on 65 attempts for a .200 hitting percentage. Candelaria also recorded 17 digs, three aces and three blocks in the win. Elizabeth Akinbiyi (Miami Gardens, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna Prep.) and Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) each added double figure kills as well. Heather Ladao (West Covina, Calif./Rowland ) led the defense with 28 total digs, while Chelsey Alpough (Torrance, Calif./South / Western New Mexico Univ. ) handed out 47 assists with 19 digs.

New Haven fell behind midway through the opening set by four points. A Cannady kill sparked a UNH run of 10-1 to take a 21-16 lead late in the set. The teams then split points down the stretch before SCSU recorded an attack error to give the Chargers a 25-20 victory.

The Owls took an early lead in the second set and held on to their lead. SCSU led 10-5 early in the set and continued to lead until they held a five-point lead at 20-15. New Haven cut the score within three points down the stretch, but a SCSU ace and a pair of kills sealed a 25-19 win for the Owls in set two.

Southern began the third set very similar to the second set, opening an early lead. The Owls led by as many as nine points, 16-7, but New Haven answered and starting chipping away at the lead throughout the set. UNH and SCSU eventually tied the set at 22-22 and additional points were needed to determine a winner of the set. The Chargers had a 25-24 lead, but the Owls scored four of the final five points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

New Haven quickly opened a lead in the fourth set, 6-1. Southern Connecticut rebounded and evened the score at 6-6, but the Chargers led by as many as five, 14-9, midway through the set. The Chargers maintained their lead for most of the set, but the Owls would close in on the lead later in the set and come within one point at 23-22. The teams exchanged points and Candelaria recorded a kill for the Chargers set-winning 25th point. The match was then tied at two sets each.

The fifth and final set belonged to the Chargers, as they opened a 9-5 advantage. Two service aces from Candelaria and a couple of kills gave UNH a 13-5 lead later in the final set. New Haven scored another two points in the final portion of the set to seal the win in the match.

With the win, UNH's regular season NE-10 win streak improved to 47 matches, dating back to 2008, the year the Chargers joined the NE-10.

New Haven returns to action against Merrimack College on Friday, September 30. The match will be played at Charger Gymnasium starting at 7 p.m. Visit www.NewHavenChargers.com for live video and live statistics Friday night.