NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior Caroline Martins (Tres Pontas, Brazil) hammered a career-high 25 kills, including the match-clinching kill, to lead the University of New Haven women's volleyball team to a thrilling five-set (25-17, 25-21, 24-26, 13-25, 15-11) win over crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday night.  

Martins 25 kills led all attackers in the match, while she was one of four Chargers to finish with double figures offensively. Her 25 kills is the first time a Charger has finished with 25 or more since a pair of players achieved that number during the 2012 season, including Keidy Candelaria who finished with 27.

Joining Martins in leading the Chargers was junior Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) who drilled 12 kills, part of her second triple double of the season and the 10th of her career. She added to her dozen kills by leading the team with 31 assists and 21 digs, while also adding four service aces. Rounding out the leading hitters was senior Alex Bussey (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy) and sophomore Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) who each chipped in 10 kills.

Among all the leading hitters, Nowicki led the team with a .348 attack percentage, suffering just two errors in 23 attempts. Martins 25 kills came on a .315 average as she finished with eight errors, while taking a team-high 54 attempts. As a team, the Blue and Gold closed out the match hitting .186 as a team, combining for 62 kills with 27 errors in 188 attempts. The Chargers best hitting came in the second set where they put down 19 kills on a .293 average.

Defensively, five different Chargers finished in double figures with Rios' 21 digs, her fourth career match with 20 or more, leading the team. Freshman Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) and junior libero Lindsey Kim (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) finished just behind Rios with 19 and 18 digs, respectively. Kim's double digit performance is the eighth straight  match she finished in double figures and comes on the heels of being named the Northeast-10 Libero of the Week on Tuesday afternoon.

Rounding out the defensive leaders was Martins with 12 digs and Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) with 11 digs. Chan's 11 digs closed out a double double for the rookie setters as she also chipped in 23 assists. As a team, New Haven combined for seven total blocks with senior Lexis Peterson (Windsor, N.Y./Windsor Central) leading the team with four total, while Rios and Bussey each chipped in a pair.

The Chargers return to the friendly confines of Charger Gymnasium one more time in the month of September, opening up a three-match home stretch on Saturday, September 30 against NE10 foe Le Moyne. Prior to the Chargers match on Saturday, New Haven will honor the legacy of long-time administrator Deborah Chin by naming the court at Charger Gym in her honor. The ceremony is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start, while opening serve against the Dolphins is slated for 1:30 p.m.