WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The New Haven women's volleyball team rallied back from down two sets to none, forcing a decisive fifth set that saw Saint Anselm pull away early to seal the contest. The Hawks hand the Chargers their first loss in conference play this season, as the Blue and Gold fall to 17-6 overall, 7-1 in the NE10.
Saint Anselm took the lead early in each of the first two sets, winning both by a 25-23 margin. The two sides would go to extra points in the third, with the Chargers battling back into the match with a 26-24 win. New Haven turned up the heat once again in the fourth, taking a 25-21 victory, before Saint Anselm won set five 15-11 to end the match.
As a team, the Blue and Gold slammed 66 kills on 198 attempts for a .227 hitting percentage, assisting on all but three of those hammers. Junior outside Emily Barry (Freeport, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) paced the New Haven attack with a career-high 21 kills, ahead of 18 from senior right-side Jessica Akiona (Kapolei, Hawaii/La Pietra- Hawaii School for Girls) and 15 from freshman outside Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac). Brown also finished with a pair of service aces on the night, tied for the team-high with freshman setter Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) who dished out a career-best 60 assists.
Defensively, the Chargers collected an even 100 digs and tallied nine total blocks. Sophomore libero Rilee Jessee (Edinburgh, Ind,/Columbus East) led the way in receptions with 29 digs, heading a group of five Chargers with ten or more in the match, as Barry and Brown added 24 and 15 to round out the top three players in that category. Akiona and Leon-Tabor finished just behind that group with 11 and 10 digs respectively, while at the tape senior middle Jalynn Finnie (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) collected four solo blocks and a pair of assists on the block as well.
The Blue and Gold will have less than a 24-hour turnaround before their next match Saturday night, hosting Saint Michael's at Charger Gymnasium in what will also be the Chargers' annual "Pink Game" for Breast Cancer Awareness. First serve from North Campus is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
