SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – With three match points in the pocket, senior outside hitter Meghan Kennelly (Detroit, Mich./Eisenhower) sent the first one hard into the block deflecting inbounds and sending the New Haven women's volleyball team (18-8) back to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship game with a five set (25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 23-25, 15-12) thriller over the host AIC Yellow Jackets. New Haven was led on the evening by junior Caroline Martins (Tres Pontas, Brazil) who finished with a career-high 18 kills and a .229 hitting percentage.

HIGHLIGHTS

·         New Haven finished without an error in the final set, putting up 12 kills in 23 attempts for a .522 average. Martins led the way in that final set with four kills, while freshman Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) and Kennelly each finished with three.

·         Joining Martins in leading the Chargers was Kennelly and sophomore setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) who finished with 10 kills. Rios completed her second straight and triple double and her seventh of the season, which is currently third most in NCAA Division II. Rios rounded out that triple double with 29 assists and 14 digs.  

·         As a team, New Haven finished the match hitting .208 with a combined 60 kills and 19 errors in 197 total attempts. Captaining the Blue and Gold offense was Rios and senior setter Annika Hacker (Bayreuth, Germany/Littleton (Colo.)) who finished with 18 assists.

·         Defensively, the Chargers were led by freshman libero Charleigh Crews (Naples, Fla./Seacrest Country Day) who closed out the night with 23 digs, one of five players in double figures. In addition to her and Rios, Kennelly (15 digs), Hacker (14) and Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) (12) all racked up double figures, with Kennelly and Hacker completing double doubles.

·         As a team, the Chargers combined for six service aces, led by Hacker who finished with a trio. Just behind her was Rios with two.

·         The Blue and Gold also combined for 12 total blocks, compared to seven for the Yellow Jackets. Leading the way was Rios and junior Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) who each finished with five total. Lexis Peterson (Windsor, N.Y./Windsor Central) was just behind them with four.

UP NEXT
The Chargers advance to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship for the sixth time overall and the second straight season. New Haven will meet the fifth seeded Adelphi Panthers in the title game for the second straight season with Adelphi advancing following a five set win over Pace. The Championship match is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. first serve at AIC's Butova Gymnasium.

2016 Northeast-10 Championship
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, November 15
Match 1 :: #8 Pace 3, #1 Le Moyne 1
Match 2 :: #2 American International 3, #7 Bentley 1
Match 3 :: #3 New Haven 3, #6 Franklin Pierce 1
Match 4 :: #5 Adelphi 3, #4 Saint Anselm 1

Semifinals - Friday, November 18 - at American International
Match 5 :: #3 New Haven 3 vs. #2 American International 2
Match 6 :: #5 Adelphi 3 vs. #8 Pace 2

Championship - Saturday, November 19 - at American International
Match 7 :: #3 New Haven vs. Winner Match 6 (5:00 p.m.)