EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The University of New Haven women's volleyball team picked up its third and fourth straight victories of the season on Friday afternoon with straight-set decisions over Jefferson and Queens on the opening day of the East Stroudsburg Invitational
Leading the Blue and Gold on the day was junior Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) who combined for 24 total kills, putting up double figures in both matches. The right side closed out the day hitting .467 with just three errors in 45 total attacks on the afternoon.
Joining her in leading the team was sophomores Camille Garden (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian) and Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) who finished with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Garden also hit well on the afternoon, connecting on 30 percent of her attempts with five errors in 23 swings.
In a two-setter rotation, senior Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) captained the Chargers offense throughout the sweep with 41 combined assists, an average of 6.83 per set. Sophomore Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) followed her with 22 kills. Rios also finished among the leading defenders for New Haven, compiling 18 total digs. She also led the Chargers with seven aces. Chan would close out the afternoon with a team-high 22 digs across the two matches. Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) rounded out the leading defenders wit 20 digs, while adding six service aces.
MATCH ONE: New Haven 3, Jefferson 0
Solid hitting and seven total team blocks helped propel the Chargers to a three-set sweep of Jefferson to open up the two-day tournament. Leading the Blue and Gold in the opener was Nowicki who finished with 13 kills and a .423 attack percentage with a pair of errors in 26 attempts.
Joining Nowicki as the only other Chargers in double figures was Greathead who finished with 10 hammers. Also among the leading hitters was Garden who hit .444 for the match with six kills on nine attempts with a pair of miscues.
Rios and Chan split responsibilities in the two-setter rotation with the senior setter leading the duo with 23 assists, while Chan chipped in with 13. The pair also each combined for a double double as they led the defensive efforts with Chan converting 16 digs and Rios 15. Rios also led the team with five aces, while Garden paced the Chargers with four blocks.
MATCH TWO: New Haven 3, Queens 0
New Haven put up its best hitting of the afternoon in the second match of the day, closing it out with a .316 team average. Leading the way individually for the second match in a row was Nowicki with 11 kills, the only player in double figures.
Marshalling the Blue and Gold in the offensive efforts was once again Rios who led the setting duo with 18 assists while Chan finished with 9. Rios also added five assists, a pair of aces and a pair of blocks for the overall effort.
Defensively, senior Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) led the Chargers with 11 digs, the only player in double figures. Overall seven different players contributed in the digs column, while freshman Jalynn Finnie (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) led New Haven with three blocks, part of five total blocks for New Haven.
UP NEXT
New Haven will close out the East Stroudsburg Invitational on Saturday with two more matches on the slate. First on the docket will be a neutral court match against Caldwell with first serve set for 1:00 p.m. A date with the host Warriors will close out the event with opening serve in that match set for 3:00 p.m.
