GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: November 9, 2021
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LOCATION: Laska Gymnasium - Worcester, Mass. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS |
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THE LEAD
The New Haven women's volleyball team will close the 2021 regular season Saturday, hosting Bentley. First serve from Charger Gymnasium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with the senior day ceremony preceding the match, as the Blue and Gold will honor six members of the programs who will graduate as members of the Class of 2022.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS (20-7, 10-2 NE10)
New Haven return to the friendly confines of Charger Gym in search of their third straight win and can claim at least a part of the NE10 regular season title with a victory Saturday. The Blue and Gold currently sit tied for second in the conference standings heading into the final day of the season. Senior outside Emily Barry (Freeport, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) has paced the Charger attack all season long, slamming 339 hammers thus far, closely followed by senior right-side Jessica Akiona (Kapolei, Hawaii/La Pietra- Hawaii School for Girls) with 333 and freshman outside Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) with 331. Freshman setter Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) has hit the ground running her rookie season, as she has already tossed out 1,067 helpers, eclipsing the 1,000-assist plateau last weekend at Stonehill, while Brown leads the team in points off the serve with 42 aces on the year. Defensively, libero Rilee Jessee (Edinburgh, Ind,/Columbus East) has corralled 422 digs this season to lead the New Haven defense, followed by Barry's 350, and Brown's 327. Senior middle Asiya Way (Denver, Colo./Denver East) continues to lead the efforts at the tape, with 64 blocks on the year, ahead of sophomore middle Emily Smith (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) with 50 and Akiona with 47.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS (13-11, 8-4 NE10)
Bentley enters play looking to snap three game losing streak, falling in the most recent match against American International in straight sets Saturday. Sophomore attacker Ellie Wheeler leads the attack with 317 kills, ahead of junior outside Ingrid Murphy with 235 and senior middle Shannon Ngo with 156. The Falcon offense has been controlled all-year by senior setter Amanda Parker with 829 kills while also leading in service aces with 36. Defensively, freshman libero Jazzy Burke paces the dig totals with 386, just ahead of Murphy with 325. At the net, Ngo leads the block with 44 total this season, ahead of Parker with 34.
shaping up for postseason Play
Heading into the final match of the regular season the Chargers sit at 10-2 in NE10 play and with a win over the Falcons would claim a piece of what could be a five-way tie for the regular season title. All 14 teams in the conference will be active on the final day of play Saturday, with Stonehill, American International, Saint Anslem, and Southern Connecticut all in position for the title, leaving much to be decided tomorrow for postseason matchups.
BLUE AND GOLD REGIONAL RANKED IN second RELEASE
On Nov. 10 the NCAA released its second ranking of the top-10 teams in each region leading up to the National Tournament, which begins on Dec. 2 with the top-eight seeds getting into the tournament. The Chargers held their position at fourth in the poll (18-6 in region) behind a pair of other NE10 teams in No. 1 Stonehill (20-3 in region) and American International (20-3 in region) and the ECC's Holy Family (22-3 in region). Four other NE10 opponent's makeup the top ten in the East, with Jefferson and Daemen rounding out the group representing the ECC. The winner of the conference tournaments for the NE10, ECC, and CACC all earn automatic spots in the tournament, with the final five teams getting in with an at-large bid.
BARRY EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS TO OPEN NOVEMBER
Barry was the fourth player to earn accollades from the NE10 last week, being named the Player of the Week on Nov. 9 following a 1-1 week for the Blue and Gold. In the pair of matches she tallied 36 kills and 31 digs, including a .314 hitting percentage in a five-set thriller against Southern Connecticut last Thursday.
Brown Double Dips on Weekly NE10 Awards
The freshman outside has been a dual threat all season long, and she was recognized for the second time this season by the conference, this time earning both NE10 Rookie and Player of the Week honors. The award comes following a 2-0 week for the Chargers where Brown hammered 37 kills across the two matches in addition to 33 digs.
Akiona Hitting Clinic Leads to NE10 Player of the Week Accolades
Akiona became the second player in as many weeks to earn weekly accolades from the NE10, as she was named conference Player of the Week on Oct. 5. In a 3-0 week for the Blue and Gold, she drilled 44 kills for a .362 hitting percentage, committing just 10 errors in 94 attempts while also adding 32 digs and seven blocks defensively.
LEON TABOR DOUBLES UP CONFERENCE HONORS TO CLOSE SEPTEMBER
The Chargers' rookie setter earned not one, but two conference honors, as she was named NE10 Rookie and Setter of the Week on Sept. 28. Leon-Tabor led her squad to a 2-0 week, tallying 80 assists (11.43/set), 20 digs and a pair of blocks.
AKIONA, LEON-TABOR EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT NODS AT WESLEYAN
Following the conclusion of the tournament, both Akiona and Leon-Tabor earned spots on all-tournament teams. Akiona finished the weekend with 45 kills, along with 19 digs and nine total blocks, earning a first-team all-tournament nod, while Leon-Tabor's 98 assists and 26 digs nabbed her a spot as a second-
team all-tournament honoree.
BROWN NABS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS IN COLLEGIATE DEBUT
With 50 kills last weekend, including 26 in her collegiate debut Brown was named Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week honors in Week one of the 2021 volleyball season. The 26 kills from Brown are the most by a player at New Haven since Sept. 24, 2011, when Keidy Candelaria matched that number against Franklin Pierce
BARRY, AKIONA NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM IN OPENING WEEKEND
Barry and Akiona were both named to the first-team all-tournament roster at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament last weekend. Barry totaled 53 kills, 53 digs, 6 assists, and three solo blocks across the four matches, while Akiona tallied 50 kills, 12 digs, and five block assists.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
If you haven't visited North Campus recently you haven't seen the construction taking place adjacent to Charger Gymnasium. The site is the future home of the Peterson Performance Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will house strength and condition, sports medicine, a new football locker room and meetings space with the ability to be tailored for the many different needs of all 18 varsity Charger athletic teams. The entire facility will measure 7,000 square feet and house 20 Olympic style weightlifting racks and a 60-yard turf agility and conditioning area. To learn more visit ChargerAthleticsFund.com.
NEXT ON TAP
The Chargers will await the official announcement of the 2021 NE10 Volleyball Championships Saturday night, which begin with quarterfinal action Tuesday. Stay tuned to NewHavenChargers.com and @UNewHavenWVB for the latest updates.
