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WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Behind her second triple double in the last three matches, senior setter Kristine Rios (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) led the University of New Haven volleyball team (7-2 overall) to a four-set victory over Post University to open a nine game home schedule.
After opening the match sluggish in the opening set, the Chargers erased a 14-12 deficit by rattling off the final 13 points of the game to earn a 25-14 victory in the opener. All 13 points came while freshman Ruby Fera (Seattle, Wash./Ballard) served with Rios opening the rally with a kill followed by four errors charged to the Eagles. After a timeout, New Haven made the final push with two kills each from Rios and sophomore Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley), one from freshman Jalynn Finnie (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) along with an ace by Fera to secure the early match lead.
The Chargers would take the second set 25-22 before falling in the third 19-25. In the final set, the Chargers trailed early by three before a five-point rally ended with a 7-5 lead. Tied at 13, the Chargers rallied again, this time rattling off 10 straight points during libero Lindsey Kim's (Rye Brook, N.Y./Blind Brook) serve that resulted in a 22-4 lead they wouldn't relinquish. In that rally, three different Chargers finished with kills, led by Fera who put down three hammers. The Blue and Gold would then fight off a late rally by the Eagles before a kill from Greathead secure the seventh straight victory for the Blue and Gold.
Rios was one of three Chargers to finish in double figures in kills with 13, while junior right side Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) led the Blue and Gold overall with 15 kills. Rounding out the leaders was sophomore Camille Garden (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian) and Fera who each chipped in 10. As a team, New Haven finished with a .258 attack percentage with a combined 61 total kills. Leading the way individually was Rio with a .393 average, suffering just two errors in 28 attempts.
In the two-setter rotation, Rios led the way with 35 assists while sophomore Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) finished with 17. As a team, New Haven would also finish with six service aces, led by senior Brianna Mirmina (Bethany, Conn./Amity Regional) who finished with three.
Defensively, Rios was one of three Chargers in double figures with the senior libero Kim leading the team with 20 digs. Rios followed with a dozen while Chan rounded out the team leaders with 11. New Haven also combined for eight total blocks with Garden and Finnie each returning three Eagles attempts.
New Haven returns to the court on Saturday at Malloy for a doubleheader. First on the docket will be a 10:00 a.m. opening serve against the Lions, while the Blue and Gold will then take on Flagler in a neutral site match-up at Quealy Gymnasium with a 12:00 p.m.
