BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The University of New Haven women's volleyball team defeated LIU Post in straight sets Friday night in the NCAA Division II East Region Championship Semifinal at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium. Making their fourth consecutive appearance, the second-seeded Chargers advance to tomorrow's NCAA East Region Championship Match at 7 p.m. and play top-seed and host Bridgeport.
With the win, New Haven improves to 23-8 on the season, while the Pioneers season concludes at 20-14.
The Chargers won by set scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-16.Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha) posted a double-double with 26 assists and 19 digs to lead the Chargers. Her performance moved the senior into third place all-time at UNH with 3,345 helpers. She passed Sandy Lautz on the all-time assists list who recorded 3,324 from 1984-86.
Offensively, outside hitters
Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wis./Madison West) and
Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) each totaled eight kills and combined for 15 digs. Senior
Hayley Wilson (Denver, Colo./Overland) added a team-best .556 hitting percentage off five kills in nine attempts and no errors.
Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East) contributed six kills and four blocks in the win. In the backrow,
Kea-Marie Olaso (Kailua, Hawai'i/Le Jardin Academy) was second on the team with 10 digs.
As a team, the Chargers recorded six total team blocks and out hit the Pioneers .242 to .073. UNH also led 33-31 in kills and 52-41 in the backrow.
LIU Post was led by Danielle Valenza with seven kills and Heather Adams with six tallies. Lulu Centro dished out 15 helpers and Rachel Ringor led the defense with 12 digs.
In the first set, New Haven jumped out to a 12-5 lead early thanks in part to a pair of Ane service aces. An
Ashley Gomez (El Paso, Texas/Ysleta) ace gave the Chargers their first 10-point lead of the set at 16-6. The Blue and Gold cruised late with a Meteyer kill sealing the nine-point victory in set one.
In the early portion of set two, New Haven trailed the Pioneers 10-5 after a ball handling error. A pair of LIU Post errors as well as kills by Wilson and Atufunwa quickly evened the set at 11-11. The two teams exchanged points until the Chargers went ahead 17-14 and held on to the lead for good. Atufunwa put away the final point in a 25-18 Chargers victory.
Set three belonged to the Chargers as well. The Blue and Gold jumped out to a 10-7 lead after a Meteyer kill which sparked a 5-0 New Haven run. The Chargers also held a seven-point advantage, 20-13, later in the set. UNH concluded by scoring five of the matches final seven points to take a 25-16 decision and 3-0 victory in the match.
