Last week, the Chargers played a trio of games against the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks and the Le Moyne College Dolphins. New Haven fell short 3-0 to the Sharks and finished the two-game series against the Dolphins, 2-0.
In the first set against the Sharks, the Chargers started strong with two kills from right side Victoria Trunkl. The Sharks’ offense quickly fought back and went on a three-point spree that placed them in the lead for the remainder of the set. Chargers’ right side Lauren MacKellar tallied five kills, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. LIU won the first set, 25-18.
The second set began with a rally. The Chargers put points up with kills from MacKellar and right side Kassadi Avent, as well as from an attack error made by LIU. The Sharks countered with two kills from Bella Correia and an additional kill by Sara Garcia. LIU took the lead on a five-point spree and didn’t look back for the remainder of the set. The Chargers again fell short, 25-18.
In the third set, New Haven and LIU went back and forth by exchanging points with dominant offense play on both sides. Both teams had a four-point spree until an attack error by the Chargers put the Sharks in the lead for the remainder of the set. LIU secured the win, 25-21 after a service ace by Miabella Musignac.
The Chargers had their first home win and sweep of the season when they defeated Le Moyne 25-23, 25-14 and 25-21 in their first game. MacKellar led New Haven with 11 kills and middle blocker Naliah Grannell followed with 10. The Chargers tallied 37 kills and 10 errors during the three sets. Setter Juli De Acharan had 29 assists while libero Payton Malinoski asserted defensive dominance with 14 digs.
Before the second matchup, New Haven honored four senior players; De Acharan, Sofia Kamke, Evelyn Kay Girard and Grannell. The Chargers won 3-1 and secured the series win after four sets; 25-18, 15-25, 27-25 and 25-19. New Haven finished the match with 54 kills and MacKellar led with 18 followed by Trunkl with 10 and Avent with seven. The Chargers tallied 16 errors compared to the Dolphins’ 13.
After the trio of games, the Chargers stand 5-20 overall and 4-10 in conference play. New Haven will be back in action for a two game series against Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) beginning Friday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. in New Britain, Conn. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
