WEST HAVEN, Conn. – New Haven women's volleyball dropped its first match of the day to Le Moyne College in five sets, but bounced back in the nightcap by taking down Mercy College in four sets, fighting to a 32-30 victory in the final stanza.
 
MATCH ONE (LE MOYNE 3, NEW HAVEN 2)
Overall the Chargers had three players reach double figures in kills with senior Mallory Nowicki (Grand Rapids, Mich./Northview) and junior Camille Garden (Atlanta, Ga./Landmark Christian) each throwing down 11, followed by freshman Emily Barry (Freeport, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) who finished with 10. Junior Angela Chan (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) picked up 26 assists, and on defense, freshman Julia Guarniere (Milford, N.H./Milford) finished with a team high 27 digs.

New Haven got off to a hot start in set number one, winning the first three points to eventually extend the lead to as many as 12 points to take set one 25-13.

The second set started slowly for the Blue and Gold, dropping to a four-point deficit early on. From there, the score drew even ten times, with Le Moyne pulling away late to draw the match level at one apiece.

The back and forth play continued in set number three, with the Chargers and Dolphins continuing to trade services, until an extended 9-2 run brought Le Moyne to a 21-12 lead, eventually taking the third set 25-15.

New Haven came out firing in set four, going on a run of their own, a 15-4 streak that featured four of 11 total kills by Nowicki, as they forced a fifth and final set, winning the fourth 25-15.

The back and forth sequences returned to play in the fifth as neither team looked to give up anything throughout, but the Dolphins managed to pull away and take set five 16-14, giving Le Moyne first win against New Haven in the history of the series.
 
MATCH TWO (NEW HAVEN 3, MERCY 1)
Junior Kali Greathead (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) led the match with 21 kills in addition to leading all players on defense with a career-high 29 digs. Freshman Sammie Paguia (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) also set a personal best on the evening finishing with 31 assists.

Set one saw the Chargers fall behind by as many as three points early on, but were able to bounce back and flip the script on the Mavericks, going on a 9-1 run to eventually take the opener 25-17.

In a more closely contested bout, New Haven broke out to as much as a six-point lead in set two, and thanks to eight kills in the set by Greathead, were able to fight off a late comeback by Mercy to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set three saw a resurgent Mavericks team out of the gate, as they broke out to a 7-2 lead, and were able to keep the Chargers from clinching the match, winning 25-17 and forcing a fourth set.

The back-and-forth theme of the day came back around in the fourth set, with each side refusing to let off the gas. A combined 23 kills in the set to go along with a trio of service aces kept the Chargers in it, as they went well past 25 points, winning set four 32-30.
 
ON DECK
Women's volleyball returns to Charger Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 15 when they host Pace University. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.