BOX SCORE PHOTO GALLERY

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of New Haven women’s volleyball team saw its run to the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship come to an end on Thursday night in the Elite Eight at UWF Field House in Pensacola. The Chargers were clipped, 3-1, in the national quarterfinals by No. 19 Indianapolis, by set scores of 25-16, 27-29, 25-17 and 25-22.
 
The Northeast-10 and East Region Champion Chargers end their season at 30-2 – the second best record in terms of winning percentage (.938) in program history. 2012 marks the 20th 30-win season and 35th winning campaign in 37 years of women’s volleyball at UNH. The loss snaps a 27-match winning streak for the Chargers that included a fifth-straight unbeaten run through the Northeast-10 regular season.
 
Indianapolis, which won the GLVC regular season title and the NCAA Midwest Region crown, improves to 31-7 and moves on to the national semifinals to meet the winner of the match between Wheeling Jesuit and Tampa, which is current in progress in Pensacola.
 
Keidy Candelaria (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Bayamon Military Academy) concluded her standout career with a double-double consisting of a team-high 10 kills and 14 digs. The two-time All-America honoree will leave New Haven ranked fifth all-time – and first in the rally scoring era – with 1,562 career kills and as one of seven members of the Chargers’ 1,000-kills and 1,000-digs club.
 
Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) and Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) each had eight kills, Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East) landed four and Ashley Dalton (Helena, Mont./Capital / Northern Arizona University) registered one finisher. Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha) doled out 26 assists from the setter spot while recording seven kills of her own and completing a double-double with 11 digs.
 
Leading all players in the back row was freshman Kea-Marie Olaso (Kailua, Hawai'i/Le Jardin Academy). The libero recorded 21 digs to finish her rookie campaign with 497 digs – the fifth-highest single-season total in New Haven history.
 
At the net, Cannady had a hand in eight of the club’s 12 team blocks. Ane was a part of five rejections and Atufunwa chipped in for three.
 
The Greyhounds’ Kristina Kerrigan led all players with 18 kills and also added 16 digs. Meghan Binkerd distributed 54 assists for Indianapolis.
 
A slow start plagued the Charger sin the opening set. New Haven fell behind, 10-1, and never recovered en route to a 25-16 win for the Greyhounds.
 
The squads split the first 10 points of the second set before Indianapolis again made the first run – this time claiming an 11-5 lead. The Chargers’ climb back was aided by two separate 3-0 runs, the latter of which tied the score at 18-18. The Greyhounds jumped back in the lead and held off New Haven to a 23-21 advantage. At that point, an error, a Candelaria kill and an ace from Bai Zhang (China/Shan Dong Zi Bo No. 10 / China Shan Dong Normal University) vaulted the Chargers to a set-point situation, leading 24-23. Indianapolis fought off two set points, and New Haven erased an opportunity for the Greyhounds to take the match, before an Ane kill and an attack error by Indy sealed the marathon set with New Haven earning a 29-27 win.
 
The Chargers were the aggressors in set three, taking a 5-2 advantage behind two kills from Cannady. New Haven maintained the lead to an 11-8 count before Indianapolis rallied with six-straight points to gain a 14-11 advantage that it would not relinquish. The Greyhounds pulled away to take a 25-17 decision in the set and a 2-1 edge in the match.
 
Set four was another back-and-forth affair. In a frame characteristic of the match as a whole, both squads erased deficits in the early stages of the set. The battle went to a 22-21 score in favor of the Chargers, but at that point Brittany Anglemeyer slammed home four consecutive kills for the Greyhounds to finish the match with a 25-22 victory.
 
New Haven’s 2012 season was the 19th for Head Coach Robin Salters ’91. She ends the campaign with her 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and runs her career record to 534-150.
 
Post-Match Press Conference
Courtesy of University of West Florida Athletic Communications
 
Head Coach Robin Salters
Opening Statement
“I just want to say that I’m very proud of my team. I just told them that in the locker room. I thought we fought hard every point. We started out very poorly and we simply could have folded up tent and packed it in and gone home after that point. We came back strong in the second (set) and really fought hard until the end. I would have really liked to push it to five sets, but I’m super proud of my team and I wish Indy the best in the next round.”
 
Adjusting to a fast offense from the opponent
“With a short turnaround in terms of preparation, we had to go out and certainly make some adjustments. Their middles were a threat and their outsides were a threat. We had a difficult time catching up to it in the first set, but I thought we did a good job of digging their outside hitters and getting out quicker on the block.”
 
“If we could have passed a little better out of serve receive, that would have helped, but I still think they did a great job.”
 
Keidy Candelaria, Sr.
Closing out career in final match while playing injured
“At this point, it was going to be my last game…so I had to give my all.
 
Enjoying the national tournament experience
“It feels wonderful. It’s the feeling that every little kid gets. I used to watch those games and think I want to be there. To get the chance to actually be here, not everybody gets that experience. I have a lot of friends that cried their eyes out because they never got a chance to be here.”
 
Kaulana Ane, So.
On Keidy’s injury and how it affected the match
“We had a lot of other team players that had to step up in practice. As coach and I say, she’s the best outside even on one foot. She could probably do it sitting down I think. She has fought a lot and I think even on one foot, she was very, very impressive in this match. She still contributed somehow. I’m very proud of my other teammates for stepping up and helping Keidy.”
 
Enjoying the national tournament experience
“This is my first time at the Elite Eight and sinking my teeth into something that’s really great. This team has been an absolute blessing and I’m so blessed to be here.”