FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 14, 2014

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Adelphi University and Bentley University, both the lower-seeded teams in the respective matches during tonight's Semifinals of the Northeast-10 Championship, recorded upsets to advance to the conference finals.

#4 Adelphi 3, 1 New Haven 2

WEST HAVEN, Conn. - In thrilling fashion, Adelphi, pictured, recorded a win against the University of New Haven for the first time since 2007 on Friday night, knocking off the top seeds in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.

Down 2-1 in the match, the Panthers rallied to claim the fourth and fifth sets, including saving match points in the fourth, to come away with the 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 15-12) win.

The Panthers advance to their third NE-10 Championship match in program history, after finishing runner-up in 2009 and taking the crown in 2011. 

Adelphi (15-14) had four players post double digits in kills, while two recorded double-doubles. Kaitlyn DeStefano led all players with 15 kills and six total blocks, while classmate Haley Blunt put down 13 balls and dug up 20.

Sophomore Mandy Stanislovaitis matched Blunt's 13 kills while posting 17 digs of her own, while Shelby Stoner rounded out the quartet with 13 kills. Megan Manierski put in the performance of her freshman season, and kept the offense running smoothly with 50 assists while adding four kills and two service aces. Finally, Sierra Crook led the defensive effort with 27 digs, just two off of her career high. 

#3 Bentley 3, #2 Stonehill 0

WEST HAVEN, Conn. - Third-seeded Bentley University knocked off league-rival Stonehill College in straight sets to advance to the conference title game tomoorrow night where they'll take on Adelphi.  The Falcons used a balanced offensive attack to knock off the Skyhawks in the Semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.

Jaci Buscher led the way for Bentley with 10 kills, while Tatiana Froehlich chipped in with eight. Alex Tator set the table providing 31 assists in the three-set match.

Bentley will be looking for their 10th NE-10 title Saturday night at Charger Gymnasium, and first since 2006, when they defeated The College of Saint Rose

Additional reporting provided by the Adelphi Athletics Communications Staff

Northeast-10 Championship Volleyball Schedule ­

Tuesday, November 11 - Quarterfinals
Match 1: #1 New Haven 3, #8 Franklin Pierce 0 
Match 2: #4 Adelphi 3 #5 Saint Rose 1
Match 3: #2 Stonehill 3 #7 Southern New Hampshire 1
Match 4: #3 Bentley 3, #6 Merrimack 2

Friday, November 14 - Semifinals
Match 5: #4 Adelphi 3, #1 New Haven 2
Match 6: #3 Bentley 3, #2 Stonehill 0

Saturday, November 15 - Finals
Match 7: Adelphi vs. Bentley ­ 5:00 p.m. 

*Semifinals/Final at The University of New Haven

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.

Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

– #NE10 –