WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – From the heat of West Haven to the heat of Florida, the Chargers were set to open and close out the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic. The tournament was all first time matchups for New Haven as they opened up with the morning matchup against Barton College at 11:30 a.m before waiting until 4:30 p.m to tip off against Lynn University who entered the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record and the Chargers looking to end that streak.
 

Game 1 vs. Barton

After a day of traveling, the Chargers took to the court first for the opening match of the tournament taking on the Bulldogs from Barton College. The blue and gold came out of the gate hot as Amihan Johnson (Tacoma, Wash./Fife High School) opened up the scoring with consecutive aces to put the Chargers up two. The beginning of the first set was close with both teams trading points and sticking within 3 points. The key point in the match was Amihan Johnson's (Tacoma, Wash./Fife High School) service ace to make it 13-8 in favor of the blue and gold. Sydney Aber (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) took over for New Haven with three straight kills before Barton called a timeout trying to stop the Chargers momentum. Out of the break the momentum was all blue and gold with Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) picking up a kill out of the break and then following that up with a service ace. New Haven picked up three more service aces before Emma Lazerson (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) finished the set up with a kill to take the set 25-14. The second set opened up with both teams splitting the first four points before the blue and gold scored eight straight with key kills from Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac), Kylie Reynolds-Martin (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty), Morgan Shaw and Sydney Aber (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) along with service aces from Amihan Johnson (Tacoma, Wash./Fife High School) and Sammie Paguia (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) to take a 9-3 lead. Barton got within three points but it was the Chargers responding and putting the game out of reach through the end of the set, going on a scoring streak of four to put the match out of reach with three kills from Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac). Kylie Reynolds-Martin (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) closed the second set with a kill to put the Chargers up 2-0 in the match heading into the third. The third set went down to the wire with the Chargers and Bulldogs staying close the entire set and with a largest lead at any time only six points. At 23-22, Chargers, Christa Cooper called a time out and out of the break the blue and gold got to match point off of a service error by the Bulldogs. That was just the beginning of the intense finale as Barton scored two points to tie the set at 24. Emma Lazerson (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) gave New Haven the lead again before Barton tied things up again. That's when the heavy hitters of New Haven stepped in, as Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and Kylie Reynolds-Martin (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) finished up the work both registering kills to close out the set, 26-24, and match in straight sets to improve the blue and gold to 3-2 on the season heading into their second matchup. Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) led the Chargers with 11 kills followed by Sydney Aber (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) and Kylie Reynolds-Martin (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) both added eight kills on only one error. 
 

Game 2 vs. Lynn

After a long break following their first match win over Barton, the Chargers returned to the court to take on Lynn University. For Lynn the matchup against the blue and gold was their first of the tournament while New Haven was a game in for the tournament and came off of a few hour break between matches. Both teams came out hot in the first set with either team only getting in front by four points at most. Both teams traded points and scoring streaks with the Chargers getting out to an early lead before Lynn battled back. When Lynn took the lead the Chargers battled back and made it a one point set. Late in the set Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) and Avery Moore (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community High School) recorded two major kills to put the pressure on Lynn late before the Fighting Knights took the first set 25-21. New Haven jumped out to an early lead in the second set jumping out to 15-13 lead following a Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) kill. It would be the Fighting Knights that would go on a scoring streak to come back to beat the Chargers in the second set 25-16 and go up 2-0 in the match. The third set saw the Fighting Knights jump out to the early lead but New Haven put the pressure on late going on a seven point streak with two service aces from Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers), and kills from Avery Moore (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville Community High School) and Kylie Reynolds-Martin (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) to put the pressure on Lynn making it 21-14. Lynn closed out the Chargers to take the third set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0, over the Chargers. Macy Brown (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac) led the blue and gold with eight kills in the match with Itzel Cruz (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Notre Dame) registering 11 digs and Sophia Leon-Tabor (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) lead with 13 assists.

UP NEXT

After the split the Chargers spend the night in Florida ahead of another double header against the tournament hosts Palm Beach Atlantic, before wrapping up the trip with a first ever meeting with St. Cloud State to close out the tournament. Live coverage of the matches will be available at https://pbasailfish.com/feature/bash2022 and post-game coverage available at NewHavenChargers.com.