SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven volleyball team split a pair of five-set thrillers on the opening day of the 2015 American International Yellow Jacket Invitational on Friday evening, defeating Pace (25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 16-25, 15-13) before falling to Dowling (18-25, 25-18, 22-25, 27-25, 10-15).

For the day, the Chargers hitters were led by Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) and Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) who finished with 34 and 33 kills, respectively. Among the pair, Lee led the way with a .275 hitting average, including a .362 effort in the second match of the night with a career-high 21 kills and four errors in 47 total attacks. The duo also finished among the defensive leaders with Lee second on the team with 43 digs and Kennelly adding 30 digs and four blocks.

Freshman setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) combined for 78 assists over the two matches, including smashing her career-best with 51 assists in the opening match against Pace. She also broke her career-high with 29 digs in the first match of the day against Pace. Rios added to those tallies with 10 kills, a .231 hitting percentage, a team-best five aces and combined to finish third on the team with 41 digs

Also among the leading hitters was Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) who finished with 14 total kills and Micki Impellizeri (Seaford, N.Y./St. Anthony's) who added 10 total kills. Bussey closed out the day leading the squad in hitting percentage with a .278 average with four errors in 36 total attempts.

Leading the Chargers defensive efforts on the day was libero Bevin Smith who totaled 48 digs, including an impressive 31 against Dowling, her eighth-straight match with 10 or more. Rounding out the digs leaders was Caprisha Richards (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/Antilles School) who finished with 28 total kills. On the block, Impellizeri led New Haven with 11 total stops, three solo blocks and eight assisted blocks. Seven of her blocks came in the opening match against Pace.

MATCH NOTES VS. PACE

·         Freshman setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) set a career-high in the opening match of the day when she finished with 29 digs on the defensive side of the floor, adding to her 27 assists. She also finished with five kills and no errors in 16 total attempts.

·         Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) and Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) combined to lead the Chargers hitting efforts in the opening match, finishing with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. The team-leading 15 kills for Kennelly represented her fifth-straight match with double figure kills.

·         Four players joined Rios in leading New Haven on the defensive side of the ball with Lee adding a season-high 23 digs to finish second to Rios.

·         Graduate student Micki Impellizeri (Seaford, N.Y./St. Anthony's) was also among the best defenders, leading the Chargers with seven blocks, added to her six kills.

·         As a team, New Haven finished the match hitting .148 with 46 total kills and 19 errors. The Chargers best hitting came in the deciding set when they finished with seven kills and only one error in 20 attempts for a .300 hitting effort.

MATCH NOTES VS. DOWLING

·         In the final match of the day, Kristen Lee (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) completed her third-straight match with double figure kills, finishing the match with a career-high 21 kills and a team-leading .362 hitting average with four kills in 47 attempts.

·         Joining her in leading the team was Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) who finished with 19 kills, while Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) added eight kills on a .353 hitting average with a pair of errors in 17 total swings.

·         Rookie setter, Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) closed out the day's second match with a career-high 51 assists, her first career match with 50-plus helpers. She also added 12 digs and five kills against Dowling.

·         Defensively, five Chargers finished in double figures led by libero Devin Smith (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) who compiled a career-high 31 digs. Lee joined her in leading the way with 20 stops.

·         As a team the Chargers finished the Dowling match with 65 kills and a .224 hitting average with 21 errors in 196 attempts. The Chargers best hitting came in the fourth set when they stormed back late in the set to force a fifth and deciding set. In the fourth, New Haven hit .311 with 18 kills and four errors in 45 attempts.

·         The Chargers five-set loss was its first loss in five sets, having won the previous five matches that were forced to a deciding set. Over the last seven matches, the Chargers have needed a fifth set to determine a winner.

UP NEXT
The Chargers close out the AIC Yellow Jacket Invitational on Saturday when they battle Angelo State and Ohio Valley in doubleheader action. New Haven opens up at 12 p.m. when they meet the Angelo State Belles with a 2 p.m. start scheduled against the Ohio Valley Fighting Scots.