TAMPA, Fla. – The University of New Haven volleyball team dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions on the road against Central Washington and Tampa on the opening day of the 2017 season. Both matches were contested at Tampa's Bob Martinez Athletics Center.
In the opening match against Central Washington, the Blue and Gold fell by scores of 25-15, 25-10, 25-8, and was led by senior Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) who finished with a team-high six kills while hitting .417 for the match with a single error in 12 total attempts.
Joining Bussey in leading the offense was junior Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) and senior Carol Martins who each finished with four kills. Rios also led the team in assists (11) and defensively with 11 digs. Juniors Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) and Lindsey Kim (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) followed Rios defensively with nine and five digs respectively, while freshman Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) chipped in five assists in her collegiate debut.
In the second match of the day, New Haven saw its best hitting of the afternoon come in the opening set when they hit .212 as a team with 11 kills and four errors in 33 attempts. Overall, the Chargers dropped the match by scores of 25-19, 25-10, 25-13.
Bussey again led the Chargers offense with six kills with those coming in 15 attempts with one error for a .333 hitting average. Senior Lexis Peterson (Windsor, N.Y./Windsor Central) followed her with four kills, while finishing errorless in 11 attempts for a .364 average. Bussey also added three blocks against the Spartans, while sophomore Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) chipped in three.
Rios again captained the offense, finishing with 16 assists against Tampa, while defensively, New Haven was led by freshman Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) who closed out the match in double figures with 13 digs.
The Chargers will conclude their southern trip on Saturday when they take on Western Washington (10:30 a.m.) and Florida Southern (2:45 p.m.) in a doubleheader at FSU's George W. Jenkins Field House.
