New Haven to Host Northeast-10 Volleyball Championship Final Four

Posted: Nov 13, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 13, 2012

Top-seeded Chargers earn quarterfinal victory,
prepare to host semifinals and title match this weekend

The University of New Haven, the top seed in the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball Championship, will host the semifinals and title match this weekend as a result of its quarterfinal victory over eighth-seeded Stonehill College, 3-2, on Tuesday night.

Second-seeded Adelphi University, fourth-seeded Southern Connecticut State University and sixth-seeded Pace University were all victorious on Tuesday night as well to advance to the Final Four.

The semifinals will take place Friday night at Charger Gymnasium on the campus of New Haven, with the No. 1 seeded Chargers taking on So. Connecticut at 5:00 p.m. and Adelphi facing Pace at 7:00 p.m. The Northeast-10 title match will be at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday night and broadcast live at northeast10.tv.

For the latest updates on championship action, be sure to follow the Northeast-10 on Twitter (@TheNortheast10).

#1 New Haven 3, #8 Stonehill 2 – BOX
Top-seeded New Haven (25-1, 15-0 NE-10) outlasted eighth-seeded Stonehill (13-15, 7-8 NE-10) in five sets on Tuesday night to move onto the semifinals as championship host. Down 2-0, the visiting Skyhawks took the third and fourth sets, including a 31-29 score in the third stanza, to force a decisive fifth.

But the Chargers, winners of 22 straight, proved to be too much, winning the fifth set by a score of 15-8. Keidy Candelaria had a game-high 18 kills to go along with nine digs, while Kristen Lee posted a 13-kill, 19-dig double-double. Amber Cannady added 14 kills, Kea-Marie Olaso totaled 25 digs and setter Kaulana Ane (pictured) had 50 assists for the top-ranked team in the East Region.

Stonehill’s Kelsey Weymouth had a stellar 14-kill, 19-dig performance for the Skyhawks, while Sydney Maxey posted 13 kills and 17 digs in the loss. Erin Kelly had a match-high 26 digs and setter Emily Iverson had 45 assists to go along with 17 digs.

New Haven, which fell in the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals a year ago, has gone a perfect 74-0 in Northeast-10 play since joining the conference prior to the 2008 season. This year, the Chargers needed only 51 sets in going 15-0 in conference play, breaking their own record of 52 sets from 2009.

#2 Adelphi 3, #7 American Int’l 1 – BOX
Defending Northeast-10 Champion Adelphi (23-10, 13-2 NE-10) got 13 kills apiece from Samantha Rico and Chelsea Overholt en route to a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over American International College (16-14, 8-7 NE-10) in Garden City, N.Y. on Tuesday. The Panthers took a commanding 2-0 lead before the Yellow Jackets won the third set, 25-20, although Adelphi wrapped it up in the fourth by a 25-22 final.

Bianca Hernandez, last year’s Northeast-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, recorded a match-high 18 digs in the win, while setter Katie Bryson dished out 32 assists and totaled four service aces.

For American Int’l, Bailey Swan had seven kills and 14 digs, Siri Ngundam had a team-high 12 kills, and Franny Sanchez totaled 16 digs. Kervelle Redhead had 27 assists in the loss.

#6 Pace 3, #3 Franklin Pierce 2 – BOX
Nora Rugova had 21 kills and 15 digs to power Pace (17-17, 10-5 NE-10) to a 3-2 upset of third-seeded Franklin Pierce University (19-14, 12-3 NE-10) on Tuesday in Rindge, N.H, helping the Setters earn their spot in the semifinals against New Haven. The Ravens had four players with double-digit kills, but it would not be enough as the Setters took the fifth set, 15-12, to advance.

Pace’s Elyse Rowland posted a game-high 37 digs while Brooke Speyerer had 53 assists in the five-set victory.

Franklin Pierce’s Natasha Ray led the way for the Ravens with a 14-kill, 27-dig performance. Sydni Schulz and Katie Jackson had 13 and 11 kills, respectively, while Lauren Miller came up with 24 digs. Setter Stephanie Svorinic dished out 54 assists.

#4 So. Connecticut 3, #5 Saint Rose 0 – BOX
So. Connecticut (24-10, 10-5 NE-10) earned a 3-0 sweep over The College of Saint Rose (17-10, 10-5 NE-10) at Pelz Gymnasium Tuesday night to move on to the semis. For the Owls, Kelly Gunneson (11 kills) led the way offensively, while Vanessa Sullivan had a team-high 12 digs. Lauren McVey posted a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs in the three-set win and setter Kimberly Lachowicz had 34 assists.

For Saint Rose, Tori Daniels and Katy Daniels had 11 digs apiece. Carissa Dube had a team-high seven kills.

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 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. 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.

2012 Northeast-10 Volleyball Championship Schedule/Results
Tuesday, November 13 – Quarterfinals
#1 New Haven 3, #8 Stonehill 2
#2 Adelphi 3, #7 American International 1
#6 Pace 3, #3 Franklin Pierce 2
#4 Southern Connecticut 3, #5 Saint Rose 0