BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The University of New Haven volleyball team closed out its non-conference slate on Tuesday night with a three-set sweep (25-20, 25-23, 25-15) of in-state rival Bridgeport, handing the Knights their first home loss of the season. Leading the Chargers on the night was freshman Ruby Fera (Seattle, Wash./Ballard) who finished with nine kills and three blocks while hitting at a .409 average.
The lone Charger in double figures against the Knights was sophomore Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) who finished with 10 kills, the only player in the match in double digits. Greathead's 10 kills came on a .241 average, while classmate Camille Garden (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian) joined Fera in finishing without an error, drilling five kills in 11 attempts for a .455 average.
As a team, New Haven finished the match hitting .268 with senior setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) pacing the offense, leading the Blue and Gold with 22 assists in a two setter rotation. Joining her in leading the Chargers was Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) who finished with 11 assists. New Haven's best hitting on the night came in the second set as they needed to overcome a deficit for the two-point victory. In that set, the Chargers combined for 16 kills and finished with a .310 average with three errors in 42 total attempts.
Defensively, the Chargers were led by Rios who completed her double double adding 14 digs to her 22 assists. Overall, she was one of three players in double figures with senior defensive specialist Lindsey Kim (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) returning a dozen of the Knights attempts while senior Libero Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) finished with 11.
New Haven also excelled on the block, finishing with 11 total blocks, while hitting into just three on the evening. Garden led New Haven on the night with six block assists, while freshman Jalynn Finnie (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) finished with five total, including a pair of solo returns. Finnie also chipped in four kills.
The Chargers will return to the friendly confines of Charger Gymnasium to close out the regular season with back-to-back home matches on Friday and Saturday. First up for New Haven will be a visit from the Saint Michael's Purple Knights with first serve set for 5:00 p.m.
