After a hard-fought battle on Nov. 9 between the Chargers and Bentley University Falcons, New Haven fell short, 2-3.
In the first set, the Falcons asserted their offense with a five-point lead. Bentley’s Caitlin Wunder, Sophia Poehlein, and Elizabeth Blinn each had kills, and the Falcons gained two points off attack errors made by the Chargers.
New Haven rallied as opposite side Peyton Mast secured the first Chargers kill, followed by outside hitter Grace Juergens and setter Tori Borton each with a kill. Middle blocker Katherine Rank added back-to-back kills along with attacks from Juergens and Mast which put New Haven in the lead. The Falcons were able to find their rhythm once again after an attack error from Mast which put them on another five-point spree. Poehlein added two kills followed by Lauren McCloskey with a kill of her own and a service ace from Rachel Vitko. Bentley sealed the first match, 25-18.
At a 0-1 deficit, the Chargers entered the second set with eager offense. Opposite side Lauren MacKellar secured the first kill for the Chargers, and the team gained additional points from a service and attack error made by the Falcons. Bentley fought back with two kills from Wunder, but they made four more errors, which put New Haven at a five-point advantage.
Libero Evelyn Kay Girard had a service ace followed by a kill from middle blocker Amber Williams. The Falcon’s countered with a trio of kills by Poehlein but Kamke, middle blocker Amber Williams, Juergens, and Rank each secured a kill for the Chargers and advanced their lead. The Chargers won the set 25-18.
In the third set, the Chargers secured the first point off a kill from Kamke, but the Falcons countered with kills from Poehlein, Vitko, and Wunder, as well as two more service aces. Juergens added back-to-back kills for New Haven, but Bentley extended their lead with a four-point spree.
The Chargers and Falcons had a series of errors between both teams, as Bentley made three attack errors and New Haven made two. Wunder and Vitko both had a kill for the Falcons while Juergens and middle blocker Nailiah Grannell each added a kill for the Chargers. Bentley finished the set with a service ace and won 25-18.
The Chargers had a strong offensive start in the fourth set and gained a five-point lead over the Falcons. Kamke led with two kills followed by Juergens and Grannell each with a kill of their own. McCloskey had two goals for the Falcons and Vitko added one, but New Haven’s offense was persistent as Kamke added two more kills. Libero Payton Malinoski went on a service ace spree as she added three points for New Haven which put the Chargers at a six-point lead.
The Falcons went on a seven-point spree led by a pair of kills from Vitko, and three errors made by the Chargers. New Haven was able to persevere and won the set, 25-23. In the final set to 15 points, Bentley’s offense was unmatchable as they went on a six-point spree and then won the set, 15-8.
The Chargers finished the match with 49 kills while the Falcons were right behind with 45 of their own. New Haven tallied 32 errors while Bentley had 23. Borton had 40 assists and Malinoski led the defense with 23 digs.
New Haven now has an overall record of 16-9 and 6-2 in conference play. The Chargers will be back on the court at 7 p.m. on Tuesday to face Pace University at the Goldstein Fitness Center. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
