BOX SCORE LAKELAND, Fla. – The University of New Haven women's volleyball team opened up its 2014 campaign on Friday morning at the FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic against Peach Belt Conference opponent Flagler. The contest went to a deciding fifth set, with the Saints pulling out a 3-2 decision.
 
The Chargers, who are the defending Northeast-10 Conference Champion and a 2013 NCAA Division II East Region Championship Finalist, begin the season at 0-1 following the non-region loss. Flagler moves to 1-0 on the heels of a 21-13 campaign last fall that included trips to the semifinal rounds of both the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Southeast Region Championships.
 
The Saints claimed the match by set scores of 21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-15 and 15-12.
 
Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East) led the Chargers offensively, beginning her senior campaign with a match-best 16 kills while hitting .378 (16-2-37). Also in the middle, Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) posted six kills in her collegiate debut.
 
On the outside, Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) hammered home seven kills, with Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) notching five finishers and Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wis./Madison West) posting four. Hayley Wilson (Denver, Colo./Overland) added five kills from the right side.
 
Two-time NE-10 Setter of the Year Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawai'i/Kamehameha) dished out 36 assists while running the offense to a .086 hitting percentage. Ane completed a double-double with 13 digs.
 
Helming the back row were Lee and libero Kea-Marie Olaso (Kailua, Hawai'i/Le Jardin Academy), who shared the match high with 25 digs apiece. Annika Hacker (Bayreuth, Germany/Littleton (Colo.)) supplemented the effort with 11 digs in addition to landing two of the Chargers' five service aces. Ane, Lee and Olaso each dropped in a winner as well.
 
At the net, Atufunwa got a piece of three blocks, while Ane had a hand in a pair of New Haven send-backs.
 
The Saints were led by 15 kills and 21 digs – both team highs – from Genel Sturgeon. Amelia Morgan also recorded a double-double for Flagler with 44 assists and 13 digs. The club hit .184 as a unit with 11 blocks and 11 service aces.
 
The Chargers grabbed the first advantage of the opening set, rattling off seven consecutive points – powered by four kills from Atufunwa – to take a 9-5 lead. After Flagler briefly pulled in front at 11-10, New Haven won the next five rallies to regain an edge that it would not relinquish at 15-11. The Saint fought off a pair of set points before the Chargers completed a 25-21 decision to claim a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Flagler made the first run of set two as a 6-1 surge staked the Saints to an 8-4 advantage. However, the Blue and Gold responded with five consecutive points to gain a 10-8 edge. New Haven would lead by as many as six points at 18-12, but Flagler began to chip away and ultimately strung together a set-ending 7-1 stretch to take a 25-22 win and knot the match at 1-1.
 
In the pivotal third set, the Chargers quickly doubled-up the Saints by a 10-5 count to force a timeout. The run continued, guided by two Hacker aces and a Lee winner, up to a comfortable 22-11 margin. A late push trimmed the cushion down to 23-21 before an Ane kill brought about set point. After the Saints staved off on set-point chance, the ensuing serve sailed long to give the Chargers a 25-22 win in the set and a 2-1 edge in the match.
 
Just as the Chargers had done in the previous set, Flagler raced out to an early lead in the fourth frame. The Saints won six of the first seven rallies and did not cede consecutive New Haven points until they had already gained a 23-11 edge. New Haven squashed two set-point opportunities before Flagler ultimately broke through to take a 25-15 decision and send the match to a fifth set.
 
The Blue and Gold never led in the fifth frame as the Saints broke a 4-4 deadlock with a 6-0 spurt to claim a 10-4 cushion. Trailing 12-7, the Chargers made a final push as a Wilson kill started New Haven on a four-point run to move to within a point at 12-11. However, the club was unable to pull even with Flagler, which strung together three of the next four points to close out the match with a 15-12 win.
 
The Chargers return to action at the FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic at 3 p.m. today against another NCAA postseason qualifier from last fall – Lewis University. The Flyers, who will be opening their 2014 slate against the Blue and Gold, went 24-10 last season en route to a spot at the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Championship. The Chargers conclude action in Lakeland tomorrow with matches against the host Florida Southern Mocs and Nova Southeastern.