Sept. 22, 2007

Portland Box Score

Central Connecticut State Box Score

Providence, R.I. - Continuing its recent winning ways, the Stony Brook volleyball team came up with a pair of five-game wins on the final day of the Brown Invitational that stretched its winning streak to seven matches as well as giving the team its third straight tournament title. Stony Brook picked up a win over Portland first, before coming from behind against Central Connecticut State to claim its second victory of the day. Senior Kaitlyn Deutsch (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded assist-dig double-doubles in both matches and junior Noelle Bay (Selden, N.Y.) picked up 45 digs as both were named to the all-tournament team.

After dropping the first game to Portland (6-6), Stony Brook (11-6) came back to win the next two. In game two the Seawolves held a 25-20 advantage, only to see Portland come back to tie things up. Back-to-back kills from senior Amy Oleksiej (Coram, N.Y.) put SBU back on top, but the Pilots came back again, tying the game at 29-all before the Seawolves got the final two points to claim the game.

Stony Brook built a nine-point lead in the third game that it used to pick up the win, but Portland came back in game four, getting consecutive points late in the game that proved to be the difference in a two-point win. In the deciding game graduate student Jackie Ahlers (Stony Point, N.Y.) picked up three early kills that helped SBU to a 7-2 lead.

Brown got back into the match in game two, breaking a 19-all tie with four straight points, including an ace from Katie Lapinski. Stony Brook got back to within in two on an ace from junior Noelle Bay (Selden, N.Y.) but could not get closer as the Bears went on to tie the match at a game apiece. The Seawolves later took advantage of four Portland attack errors that led to five straight SBU points that clinched the match.

Against Central Connecticut State (12-4), Stony Brook broke open a tight first game by winning seven of eight points to take a 24-18 lead. The Sewolves then held off a late charge by CCSU and picked up a 30-27 win on an Ahlers kill.

Central Connecticut then came back to take the next two games, winning by six and eight points to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Trailing 19-12 in the fourth game, Stony Brook started down the comeback trail when freshman Alicia Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) came up with an ace. The Seawolves then started to slowly cut into the CCSU lead and came all the way back to tie things up at 27-all on a kill from senior Morgan Sweany (Mission Viejo, Calif.). A pair of CCSU errors then gave Stony Brook the points it needed to take the game.

Game five was tight all the way and the biggest advantage for either team came when CCSU held a 14-12 lead. Facing two match points, Stony Brook got a kill from Ahlers and an ace from Bay to tie things up a 14-14. Central Connecticut then had a pair of hitting errors give the Seawolves the deciding points in the match.

Against Portland, Ahlers led Stony Brook's offense by hitting .455 with 17 kills and four aces. Bay dug 23 balls while Deutsch had 10 digs to go with her 54 assists. Sweany and Oleksiej also reached double figures in kills for SBU. In the victory over Central Connecticut, Ahlers and Sweany each put away 18 kills for the Seawolves. Bay again led the squad with 22 digs, with Sweany adding 15 and Deutsch 12. Stony Brook picked up some key service aces in the match, 17 in all, with six coming from Oleksiej and five from Deutsch.