WORCESTER, Mass. - Freshman outside Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) dropped a double-double Tuesday helping lead the New Haven women's volleyball team to a straight set win over Assumption. With the win the Blue and Gold improve to 20-7 overall and draw level with Stonehill atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings at 10-2 in league play.
Brown paced the team on both sides of the ball, slamming 20 kills and a service-aces offensively, while also corralling 15 digs. Finishing just behind her on the stat sheet was senior right-side Jessica Akiona (Kapolei, Hawaii/La Pietra- Hawaii School for Girls) who powered 11 and senior outside Emily Barry (Freeport, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) who killed nine. The Charger offensive scattered 48 hammers across the three sets on 117 total attempts for a .291 hitting percentage, with each of those kills coming off an assist, led by freshman setter Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) with 41.
On the defensive end the Chargers collected an even 60 digs in the contest, with Barry and Akiona finishing second and third in the category with 12 and 11, respectively. On the block sophomore middle Emily Smith (Chesterfield, Mich./Anchor Bay) finished with a solo block and an assist, pairing with Brown for the two-player rejection.
Assumption opened the contest with a two-point lead early on, before the Blue and Gold went on a run of their own to extend an 11-8 advantage, with Brown providing three kills in that sequence. The home team was able to draw back level a few points later and briefly regained control just past the midway point of the set. That would be the last lead for the Greyhounds in the set, as the Chargers retook the lead a 17-16 and never looked back on the way to a 25-21 win.
After exchanging the first eight points of set two evenly, New Haven would shift into high gear, going on a 7-1 run to take an 11-5 lead. Assumption would cut the deficit by three out of a timeout later in the set, but the Blue and Gold would keep the Greyhounds from getting within more than five points for the remainder of the stanza, taking a 25-20 win, putting the home side down two sets to none.
In what was the most closely contested set of the match, neither side would be able to gain an edge on the other in the third, with Assumption taking what was the largest-lead of the set at the time a 15-12. Following a New Haven timeout the team traded the next four points before a 7-0 run by the Chargers flipped the script to give the visitors a 21-17 advantage. The Greyhounds would cut it to within one before a kill from Brown and an attacking error across the tape sealed a 25-22 win for the Blue and Gold who earn the win in their final road contest before the postseason.
The Chargers will close the 2021 regular season Saturday afternoon, returning home to host Bentley. This game will also be senior day for the Blue and Gold, who will honor six players who will graduate as members of the Class of 2022 prior to the match. First serve from Charger Gymnasium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
