WEST HAVEN, Conn. — New Haven women's volleyball lost to Holy Cross 3-0 on Tuesday at The Hazell Center. The sets finished 25-22, 25-22, and 25-20 from the Chargers' perspective, with New Haven totaling 37 kills and a .210 hitting percentage.
The Chargers were even at 2-2 before Holy Cross answered with three straight points, including a Tuana Ozarpaci ace and an Emma Sorensen kill, to move ahead 5-2. Kills from
Josie Foster (Brisbane, Australia/Kelvin Grove State College),
Lauren MacKellar (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Northville), and
Marley Alefaio (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes) helped the Chargers close gaps, but Holy Cross reached 15-8 when Georgia Murphy's service turn included a Sorensen kill and two Chargers attack errors. New Haven worked back into the set from there, using an
Alejandra Mejia (Miramar, Fla./Archbishop McCarthy) ace and a MacKellar kill during a push to 18-15 before kills by
Hannah Adderly (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Nova) and
Mirella Rederer (Stuttgart, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany/Wirtemberg Gymnasium) pulled the Chargers within 22-20. Alefaio and
Caroline Johnston (Nolensville, Tenn./Nolensville) added late kills to keep the Chargers within 23-21 and 24-22, but Holy Cross closed the set 25-22 on a block by Sorensen and Lacey Murphy.
The second set was even at 8-8 before Holy Cross scored five straight behind Georgia Murphy's serve, including two aces and an Emma Sorensen kill, to put New Haven down 13-8. The Blue & Gold came back with a Holy Cross service error and four straight points on a
Payton Malinoski (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township) ace, a
Quinn Yenshaw (Williamsburg, Mich./St. Francis) kill from Johnston, a MacKellar kill, and a Foster kill to tie it 13-13. After Holy Cross briefly went back ahead 14-13, Foster's kill evened the set and the Chargers won the next four points on Mejia's serve, using a Yenshaw-Adderly block, two Adderly kills, and Mejia ace to build an 18-14 lead. Holy Cross later came back from the Chargers' 20-17 lead to tie it 20-20, broke a 21-21 tie with a Drew Flanagan kill and service ace, and after New Haven got within 23-22, closed the set on a Georgia Murphy kill and an attack error for a 25-22 decision.
The Chargers trailed 4-0 early in the third set after Holy Cross scored on two Chargers attack errors and kills by Lacey Murphy and Emma Sorensen, and the visitors later moved ahead 17-10. New Haven kept trading points behind kills from MacKellar, Yenshaw, Adderly, and Foster, and MacKellar's kill followed by Adderly's block helped trim a 20-13 deficit to 20-16. After Holy Cross went up 22-17, Alefaio's kill and two Holy Cross attack errors brought the Chargers within 22-20, but Keira Mullen answered with consecutive kills before Murphy's service ace closed the set for Holy Cross, 25-20.
Lauren MacKellar (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Northville) led New Haven with 14 kills and added eight digs.
Caroline Johnston (Nolensville, Tenn./Nolensville) finished with 28 assists and 10 digs.
Hannah Adderly (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Nova) recorded six kills and three blocks, including two solo blocks.
Josie Foster (Brisbane, Australia/Kelvin Grove State College) added six kills while hitting .364.
New Haven drops to 1-3 overall. Holy Cross is 2-2 overall.
Up next, New Haven will host Fordham University on Friday, Sept. 4, at noon in Newark, Del., in the Blue Hen Invitational.
