RINDGE, N.H. – The University of New Haven women's volleyball team began its Northeast-10 Conference schedule at 1-0 following a 3-1 victory at Franklin Pierce on Saturday afternoon. Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) and Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wis./Madison West) shared the match high with 17 kills apiece as UNH triumphed by set scores of 19-25, 28-26, 25-19 and 25-22.
 
The Chargers (5-2, 1-0 NE-10) and Ravens (4-1, 0-1 NE-10) were tabbed as the top two teams in the Northeast-10 in last month's preseason coaches' poll. Franklin Pierce joined UNH as an NCAA East Region Championship squad last fall.
 
In addition to career high of 17 kills for Meteyer, the junior completed her second career double-double with 10 digs. Cannady was the Chargers' most-efficient hitter, with her 17 kills coming on just 31 swings with one error for a .516 hitting percentage. Ashley Dalton (Helena, Mont./Capital / Northern Arizona University) added eight kills for New Haven, and Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) came off the bench to contribute seven finishers. Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East) notched five kills and Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) and Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha) each had one. Ane also ran the Chargers' offense from the setter position, distributing a match-leading 47 assists.
 
Defensively, libero Kea-Marie Olaso (Kailua, Hawai'i/Le Jardin Academy) shared the match best with 24 digs. Ane neared a double-double with nine from the back row and Kennelly posted eight digs. At the net, Cannady recorded a solo block and Ane and Dalton teamed up for a second as each squad registered just two blocks apiece.
 
Ashley Bruce and Natasha Ray led the Ravens with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.
 
A pair of New Haven errors to start the match handed a 2-0 lead to Franklin Pierce that it would not relinquish in the first set. The hosts led by as many as seven points in an eventual 25-19 win in set one.
 
Set two was a different story with 15 ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points en route to a 23-23 deadlock. The Ravens were the first to earn a set point at 24-23, but a Dalton kill kept the Chargers alive. After a Franklin Pierce kill, Dalton came through again with a finisher to erase set point and a Ravens' error brought about the first New Haven set-point opportunity. The Chargers were unable to capitalize the first time around but a service error gave them a second chance, and Cannady slammed down the final kill to tie the match at 1-1 with a 28-26 win.
 
Early runs of three and four points staked New Haven to an 8-2 led in set three, and the Chargers never looked back. Franklin Pierce managed a spurt larger than two points only once in the frame as New Haven took control of the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
The fourth set began as a back-and-forth battle, with the eighth and final tie coming at 9-9. At that point, the Chargers took a lead that they would not relinquish at 11-9 courtesy of back-to-back kills by Meteyer and Lee. Though the Ravens would not fade away in the set, New Haven kept them at arm's length en route to clinching the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth and final set.
 
The Chargers, who are the defending Northeast-10 and NCAA East Region Champions, remain perfect all-time in NE-10 play with their 75th-consecutive win during the conference's regular season.
 
New Haven returns to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 25 for a match at perennial region power Dowling to complete its current five-match road trip. Action resumes at Charger Gymnasium with a visit from Northeast-10 opponent Assumption on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. That match will be broadcast in high definition and free of charge on NewHavenChargers.com.