RINDGE, N.H. – The University of New Haven women’s volleyball team defeated Franklin Pierce University 3-2 (18-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-15, 15-12) Saturday afternoon in come-from-behind fashion.
The Chargers dropped the first two sets, but rebounded with three straight victories to seal their sixth victory of the season. UNH improved to 6-4 overall and 2-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference with the win. The Ravens fell to 5-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
New Haven came out very cold Saturday afternoon, dropping its first two sets to the Ravens. In the first set, Franklin Pierce opened a 4-0 lead and New Haven could not recover the entire set. The Ravens led by eight points, 13-5, midway through the set. Franklin Pierce then opened a 10-point lead, 19-9, later in the set. The Ravens went on to win the opening set by a score of 25-18. The Chargers started slow again in the second set as the Ravens opened a 10-5 lead early. UNH rallied, tying the score at 15-15 later in the set, but Franklin Pierce sealed the second set, taking a 2-0 lead, by a score of 25-22.
In the third set, UNH and Franklin Pierce went point-for-point and were tied at 13-13 midway through the set. A kill by Kristy Atufunwa (Denver, Colo./Denver East) then sparked a Chargers’ rally. New Haven went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 lead. They would not lose the lead and brought the match to 2-1 with a 25-22 victory in set three.
Behind outstanding service by Kaulana Ane (Paia, Hawaii/Kamehameha), New Haven quickly opened a 7-0 lead in the fourth set. The Chargers carried the early lead and led by at least four points through the entire fourth set. Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) sealed the set for UNH with a kill for the 25th point.
The fifth an final set was back-and-forth as Saturday’s match came down to the deciding set. Franklin Pierce started the set with a 2-0 lead, while a Ravens’ attack error broke the string and the Chargers took the serve down 2-1. UNH and Franklin Piece then went point-for-point and switched sides at 8-7. Candelaria lit up the stat sheet with five kills in the final set, including a kill which gave the Chargers a two-point lead, 12-10, after the switch. UNH held on to the lead, despite Franklin Pierce coming within one point two times in the closing rallies. A service ace by Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wisc./Madison West) sealed the win for New Haven by a score of 15-12.
Late in Saturday’s match, the Chargers looked to junior Keidy Candelaria (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico/Bayamon Military Academy) for a spark and she helped lead the Chargers to the victory. The Vega Baja, Puerto Rico native led the team with 26 kills. She also posted 14 digs and two aces. Amber Cannady (Yonkers, N.Y./Charles E. Gorton) was second on the team with 14 kills and led the team with a .345 hitting percentage. Margo Meteyer (Madison, Wisc./Madison West) added 13 kills and 10 digs in the victory. Chelsey Alpough (Torrance, Calif./South / Western New Mexico Univ. ) handed out 53 assists, while Heather Ladao (West Covina, Calif./Rowland ) led the back row with 20 digs.
The Chargers return to action on Tuesday, September 27 when they travel across town to take on the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University. Match time at SCSU is set for 7 p.m.
