Oct. 24, 2008

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - After losing the first set, 25-12, Stony Brook University's volleyball team rallied and won three straight to top the University of Hartford, 3-1 (12-25, 25-15, 25-12, 25-13), Friday night in Pritchard Gymnasium. Senior Gulce Nazli Dikecligil (Istanbul, Turkey) had a spectacular game for the Seawolves, racking up 19 kills with a .459 attack percentage while serving up a season-high seven aces. The win is Stony Brook's first conference victory and moves it to 10-14 (1-5) on the season, while Hartford drops to 5-19 (0-6).

Hartford opened the match on fire, converting on .667% of its attacks in the first set. Following a kill from Dikecligil, which put the score at 8-7 Hawks, Hartford scored nine straight points to open up a ten-point advantage, which it never relinquished. Maddison Molyneux paced the Hawks, going 6-for-6 on attack attempts, as Hartford cruised to a 25-12 victory.

The Hawks rode the momentum from the first set into the second, grabbing an early 8-6 lead. However, this time the Seawolves bounced back, using a 10-3 spurt to move ahead 16-11. Hartford scored the next three points to pull within two, but back-to-back aces from Dikecligil pushed SBU back up by five and forced Hartford into a timeout. Stony Brook never slowed, converting the next four-points of the set, before closing it out 25-15.

Dropping the second set seemed to knock the wind out of Hartford's sails, as they managed to lead only once more (1-0 to start the fourth) over the final two frames. Dikecligil led the Stony Brook attack through those two sets, recording a combined 11 kills.

Defensively, sophomore Ashley Headen (Alexandria, Va.) totaled eight blocks, while the combo of senior Jessica Graham (Eastport, N.Y.) and juniors Michelle Burrola (Glendale, Ariz.) and Jamie Watson (New City, N.Y.) combined for 32 digs. Freshman Kelsey Sullivan (Hamilton, Va.) had 35 assists and chipped in with three blocks.

Stony Brook and Hartford square off again on Sunday in West Hartford, Connecticut. The match is set to start at 2:00 p.m.