University of New Haven Athletics

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Led by 12 kills from Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East), the University of New Haven women's volleyball team began its 2014 postseason with a sweep of visiting Franklin Pierce in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening. With the win, the top-seeded Chargers will host the weekend portion of the NE-10 Championship on Nov. 14-15.
 
The two-time defending Northeast-10 Champion, New Haven improves to 21-7 on the season. The Ravens, who were the eighth-seeded team in the Championship, see the likely end to their season with a record of 15-13. The Chargers won the match by set scores of 25-23, 25-14 and 25-16.
 
Atufunwa, who was announced as a First Team All-Northeast-10 honoree earlier on Tuesday, amassed her dozen kills on .476 hitting (12-2-21). On the outside, Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wis./Madison West) sent home 10 kills and Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) added seven. Hayley Wilson (Denver, Colo./Overland) picked up four kills and Ashley Dalton (Helena, Mont./Capital / Northern Arizona University) notched three for the Chargers, who hit .171 as a unit. Rounding out the attack were one kill apiece from Damianis Eusebio (Miramar, Fla./University School), Annika Hacker (Bayreuth, Germany/Littleton (Colo.)) and Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha).
 
Ane and Hacker shared setting duties for the Blue and Gold, distributing 18 and 11 assists, respectively.
 
In the back row, Meteyer completed her 10th double-double of the season with a team-high 16 digs. Kea-Marie Olaso (Kailua, Hawai'i/Le Jardin Academy) added 15 from the back row, Lee notched 11 and Hacker had eight. At the net, Atufunwa led all players with four blocks, including three solo send-backs. Dalton was a part of three Charger blocks, and Wilson had a hand in two.
 
The Chargers scored five points from behind the service line, led by two Hacker service aces. Lee, Olaso and Meteyer each dropped in one winner on the Ravens.
 
Hannah St. Jean led the Ravens with eight kills. Hannah Runge handed out a match-high 14 assists, and Sarah MacHugh led all players with 19 digs.
 
New Haven needed a late rally in the first set. The Chargers trailed by as many as four points in the frame and found themselves in a 21-18 hole before stringing together five consecutive points to take a 23-21 advantage – their first since leading 1-0. New Haven would not surrender its cushion as a Lee kill closed out a 25-23 win.
 
Faced with another early deficit in set two, the Blue and Gold erased a 5-1 margin with a 6-0 stretch that included two Hacker aces. The Chargers were again able to protect their lead, winning the final seven rallies of the set to pull away for a 25-14 triumph and a commanding 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
New Haven's rally came earlier in the third frame with three Atufunwa kills as a part of 6-0 stretch to quickly double-up the Ravens at 8-4. Franklin Pierce immediately ran off four straight points to erase the deficit, but the Chargers would only cede consecutive points to the visitors once more in the set, eventually taking a 25-16 decision to complete the sweep.
 
The Chargers advance to play fourth-seeded Adelphi in the NE-10 Championship Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 14. New Haven swept the Panthers in Garden City in the regular season meeting between the squads on Oct. 28.
 
More information regarding the 2014 Northeast-10 Volleyball Championship, which will be held at Charger Gymnasium on Nov. 14-15, will be available on NewHavenChargers.com as it is finalized by the conference office.