The Chargers had a busy schedule last week, taking on three different opponents over four matches.
The first game of the week took place on Tuesday against the Holy Cross Crusaders. New Haven came out strong in the first set, taking a 25-18 set win over the Crusaders. Despite the early lead, the Chargers could not follow through and lost the following three sets to Holy Cross, resulting in a 3-1 loss for New Haven. Lauren MacKellar and Kassidi Avent both totaled 10 kills in the match, with MacKellar also adding a block. Naliah Grannell had four kills and three blocks, while Caroline Johnston tallied 18 assists and an ace, followed by Juli De Acharan with 15 assists and two aces. Additionally, Payton Malinoski added 28 digs.
New Haven faced the Binghamton University Bearcats on Wednesday. The first set of the night was a close one, with both teams trading points throughout the set. Despite the Chargers’ effort, Binghamton held the lead for the entirety of set one, resulting in a 25-22 set loss for New Haven. The Bearcats carried the momentum into the second set, once again taking the lead early and holding on throughout the set. Despite being tied at 13 halfway through, the Chargers fell short again, and the set ended with a score of 25-19. New Haven went into set three looking for a chance to comeback but could not find a win after a six-point run from Binghamton became too much for New Haven to fight back from. The Chargers fell short 25-12, finalizing the 3-0 loss against the Bearcats. Grannell and MacKellar both had nine kills for the Chargers, while De Acharan had 18 assists and 14 digs on the night.
On Friday, New Haven traveled to Chicago State University (CSU) to take on the Cougars for match one of the weekend double-header. The Chargers came out on top, 3-1.
It was a strong first set for New Haven, with 16 kills leading them to the 27-25 victory. The Chargers carried the momentum into the second set and won with a dominant score of 25-18. Chicago State did not go down without a fight and won the third set, 25-17, but New Haven was able to finish the job in the fourth set with a 25-16 victory over the Cougars, finishing the win at 3-1 for New Haven.
The Chargers took on the Cougars again on Saturday, falling short in a 3-1 loss. Chicago State came out strong in set one, with a 25-14 win over New Haven. The Cougars also took the second set of the match, 25-22. The Chargers attempted a comeback in the third set and came out on top 25-23. New Haven could not come out with the win, with CSU dominating the fourth set, 25-13.
After the four-game week, New Haven is now 3-19 overall, and 2-9 in conference play. The next match is scheduled for Oct. 29 at Long Island University at 6:00 p.m. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
