BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – A trio of double-doubles and four players with 10 or more kills guided the University of New Haven women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 win over LIU Post on Friday evening in non-conference action at Charger Gymnasium. New Haven took the match by set scores of 25-17, 25-22, 13-25 and 25-16.
 
The Chargers improve to 11-1 with their eighth-consecutive victory, while the Pioneers drop to 11-10.
 
Keidy Candelaria led the way with a pair of match highs – 13 kills and 21 digs. Kristen Lee also registered a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs, and Kaulana Ane posted a double-double as well with 45 assists and 15 digs. Middle hitters Kristy Atufunwa and Amber Cannady both reached double-digit kills with 12 and 11 finishers, respectively.
 
Ane and Ashley Dalton added five kills apiece to round out a Charger attack that hit .199 (56-25-156) as a unit.
 
Also contributing in the back row was Kea-Marie Olaso, who notched 11 digs. At the net, Candelaria, Cannady and Atufunwa each had a hand in two of New Haven’s six team blocks. Overall, the Charger defense held LIU Post to a .140 hitting percentage (42-21-150).
 
The Chargers also benefited from seven service aces – three by Ane and two each from Candelaria and Olaso.
 
New Haven jumped out to an early 8-4 lead in the opening set, and a 6-0 run, which featured a both of Ane’s service aces, extended the margin to 17-8 and put the match away as the Chargers coasted from that point forward to a 25-17 victory.
 
In set two, LIU Post ran off the first three points to take an early lead, which held up to a 13-10 margin. At that point, a pair of Pioneers’ attack errors and a Candelaria finisher amounted to a 3-0 run that knotted the score. The deadlock stretched to 20-20 before back-to-back kills by Candelaria and Ane gave New Haven a two-point cushion. A Dalton kill would seal the deal in an eventual 25-22 win to give the Chargers’ a 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Pioneers came out firing in set three as a 12-1 spurt gave the visitors a 17-6 lead. The clubs traded points the rest of the way, which was more than enough for LIU Post to stay alive with a 25-13 win.
 
The Chargers bounced back with authority in the fourth frame. A 9-9 stalemate broke open with a 7-2 New Haven run and consecutive aces by Candelaria extended the lead to seven points at 20-13. That margin would prove insurmountable, and the Chargers wrapped up the four-set win with a 25-16 triumph.
 
Makamae Namahoe led LIU Post with 11 kills and 14 digs.
 
The Chargers, who are 4-0 in the Northeast-10, resume conference play tomorrow at Merrimack. After road matches at Assumption and Bridgeport, action returns to Charger Gym on Saturday, Oct. 13 for a 1 p.m. visit from Massachusetts Lowell.