OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The University of New Haven volleyball (19-4 overall) team secured its second-straight three-set sweep on Tuesday night, defeating the NYIT Bears in a key East Region match-up. Leading the Chargers on the night was junior right side Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) who finished with 17 kills, her 15th match of the season in double figures and one shy of her season-best hitting performance.
Nowicki closed out the match with an impressive .567 attack percentage, one of two leading hitters to finish without an error, joined by sophomore outside hitter Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) who dropped in a dozen kills. Rounding out the leading hitters was sophomore middle Camille Garden (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian) who led the Chargers with a .600 hitting percentage with 10 kills and a single error in 15 total attempts.
As a team, New Haven finished the night hitting .394, the second highest team hitting percentage of the season and the second-straight match hitting .350 or better. Leading New Haven to that average was senior setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) who collected 39 assists while adding a pair of kills. The Chargers finished two of the three sets with a hitting average above .400, with the best hitting coming in the third and final set where New Haven combined for 16 kills without an error in 34 attempts.
Defensively, the Chargers were led by senior libero Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional), who finished her 14th straight match in double figures with 13 digs, while all but one of the 10 players who saw action for the Blue and Gold finished with at least one defensive stop. Joining Mirmina in leading the team was sophomore Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) who finished with 10 digs, while senior defensive specialist Lindsey Kim (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) followed with nine, giving her exactly 1,000 digs for her collegiate career.
Combined, the Chargers also finished with six blocks, led by freshman Jalynnn Finnie who finished with four total, a solo block and four block assists. While Garden, Rios and Greathead all added a pair. New Haven also picked up three points in their serving with a trio of aces, led by Greathead with two.
The Chargers will make their final appearance of the month at Charger Gymnasium on Friday night when they return to Northeast-10 action hosting the Bentley Falcons. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. as the Chargers will host their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game, asking all fans to wear pink. All funds raised during the event will benefit the Colleen Sorbello Breast Cancer Research Lab.
