BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The University of New Haven women's volleyball team (4-7 overall) split both ends of a tri-match on Saturday, defeating Wilmington in three sets and falling to the host LIU Post in three sets. Leading the Chargers on the day was sophomore Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) who combined for 16 kills over the two matches.
Leading the Blue and Gold in the sweep of Wilmington was freshman Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) who closed out her second double double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs. Her 13 kills in the opening match represented the only player on the day to record double figures offensively. She also led New Haven's hitting efforts with a .357 attack percentage with her 13 kills coming on 28 total attempts with three errors. Overall, the Chargers hit .270 for the match with 47 kills and 16 errors in 115 attacks. The best hitting came in the second set where they combined for a .395 average with 18 kills and three errors in 28 attempts.
Joining Greathead in leading the Chargers was seniors Caroline Martins (Tres Pontas, Brazil) and Fernanda da Silva (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Berlaar Sao Pascoal) who each finished with eight kills, while sophomore Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) and senior Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) each chipped in seven. As a team, New Haven also combined for 10 aces, led by junior Lindsey Kim (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) who finished with three. Martins, Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) and Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) each added a pair. Rios also added a team-high 37 assists.
Defensively, Greathead was one of three Chargers with double figure digs with Martins leading New Haven with 14 digs. Kim rounded out the efforts with a dozen.
In the second match of the day, Nowicki led the Chargers with nine kills, giving her 16 total for the tri-match. Nowicki also led New Haven's hitting with a .250 average with her nine kills coming on 20 total attacks with four errors. Joining her in leading the Blue and Gold was Rios and Martins who each finished with seven kills. Rios also chipped in a team-high 15 assists while Chan added eight.
Defensively, four Chargers finished in double figures led by Kim who finished with 15 digs, her fifth straight match in double figures defensively. Joining her was Martins with 12, Greathead with 11 and Rios with 10.
New Haven will return to Charger Gym for its Northeast-10 Conference opener when they welcome the Assumption Greyhounds on Tuesday, September 19. Opening serve against the Greyhounds is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Fans unable to attend the match can follow all the action live on the Charger Sports Network with live stats and video.
