The 8th seeded NCAA East Region Champion New Haven Chargers took the court Thursday night (Dec 7) to take on top seeded Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears in the NCAA Elite Eight in Pensacola, Florida. The match did not go the way  the Chargers would have liked as they got swept in three sets by the Golden Bears.  

In the first set,  the Chargers came out strong and got out to a 4-2 lead. Little by little Concordia-St. Paul battled back and was able to go on a five-point run to take a 7-4 lead.  A kill by senior Caroline Martins made it 6-8, but the Golden Bears went on another four- point run to give themselves some breathing room. This set was reminiscent of the Chargers’ classic battles with Southern Connecticut in both the NE-10 tournament and in the NCAA regionals. Unlike Southern Connecticut, Concordia-St. Paul did not allow the Chargers to regain the lead in the set as they won the set 25-14.

In the second set, Concordia St. Paul came out with all the momentum as they were able to get out to an

 early 9-3 lead. The Chargers answered back with three points o

f their own, but they weren’t able to capture the same momentum they had at home in front of Charger Nation. With the score 10-6, the Golden Bears went on a seven-point run to make the score 17-6. The Chargers have shown all year that no lead is insurmountable, but this one was close to it. The Chargers were only able to score five more points in the set as Concordia-St. Paul won the set 25-11.

The third set showed why Concordia-St. Paul was the top seeded team in the Elite Eight. They got out to an early lead and they took care of business. The only lead the Chargers had throughout the whole set was a 1-0 lead on a kill by senior Alex Bussey. The Golden Bears went on a six-point run to regain the lead. The Chargers couldn’t keep up in the set as the Golden Bears just kept pouring on the points. With the score 15-6, the Golden Bears went on another 6-point run to get out to a 21-6 lead. The Chargers scored their final point in the set and for the season on a kill by freshman Kali Greathead. The Golden Bears went on a four- point run to finish off the Chargers 25-7, holding New Haven to their lowest scoring set on the season.

Leading the way for the Chargers was Bussey and Rios who each had six kills on the night. Martins finished the game with four kills, finishing the season with a team- high 392 kills. The Chargers will return next season with hopes to repeat the same success they enjoyed this season.