CLARION, PA – Senior right-side Jessica Akiona (Kapolei, Hawaii/La Pietra- Hawaii School for Girls) and junior outside Emily Barry (Freeport, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) were received all-tournament team recognition at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament this weekend in Pennsylvania. The early morning meeting with Saginaw Valley State (SVS) remained close throughout all four sets, with the Chargers falling just three points short in each of the final three sets. The Blue and Gold went the distance with Shippensburg in the second match of the day, before falling in five sets, 15-9 in the final stanza.

MATCH 1: EAGLES 3, CHARGERS 1 – 25-17, 22-25, 22-25, 22-25
Akiona led the New Haven attack in the A.M. bout with SVS, hammering 14 kills, one ahead of Barry and freshman Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) who each finished with 13. Freshman Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) handled the setting duties for the Blue and Gold, dishing out 44 assists across the four sets.

Brown continued her early season hot streak, adding a pair of service aces to her marks to lead the New Haven in points accounted for with 16.5, just ahead of Akiona with 15. She, along with sophomore outside Rilee Jessee (Edinburgh, Ind,/Columbus East) found themselves at the top of the Digs column in game one collecting 17 and 15, respectively. Following the pair of Charger hitters in that category are junior libero Julia Guarniere (Milford, N.H./Milford) (13), Brown (12), and Barry (10).

MATCH 2: RAIDERS 3, CHARGERS 2 – 23-25, 25-23, 26-28, 25-13, 9-15
Akiona led the way in match two as well, slamming home another 16 kills against Shippensburg, just ahead of Barry's 15, in addition to a pair of assists on the block to give her the team in points with 17. Leon-Tabor remained the setter in game two, passing out an even 40 helpers, with Jessee and Barry supplying five and three assists, respectively.

Guarniere topped the stat sheet for service aces, finishing with four, followed by Leon-Tabor with three. Defensively, Brown led a trio of New Haven players tally at least 15 digs, finishing with 19, followed by Jessee with 18 and Barry with 15.

UP NEXT
When the Chargers return from the Quaker State, they will have four days off before making the trip up to Waterbury Friday for two games in the opening day of the Post Eagles Tournament hosted by Post University. The Blue and Gold open the weekend against in-state rival Bridgeport at noon, before a non-conference match with Bentley at 5:00 p.m. The team will return to West Haven for the night, before wrapping up the tournament Saturday with a single game against the host Eagles in the nightcap at 7:00 p.m. Stay tuned to NewHavenChargers.com for the latest updates and tournament information.