Sept. 11, 2009

Box Score

New York, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's volleyball team swept Quinnipiac, 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-12), before losing to Iona, 3-2 (25-20, 11-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-10) on Friday at the Columbia Invitational. Senior Harmonie Calinda (Huntington, N.Y.) averaged 3.50 kills/set to pace the offense while senior Lisa Doremus (Glendale, Ariz.) led the defensive effort with 4.50 digs/set. Stony Brook is now 2-8 on the season.

After falling behind early in its first set of the day, 4-2, Stony Brook used a 6-0 rally, highlighted by three kills from freshman Sally Downs (Coppell, Texas), to jump in front of Quinnipiac. The Seawolves maintained at least a three-point cushion throughout the match, hitting .293 as a team on their way to a 25-17 win. Doremus had a set-high six kills while Downs led all attackers with a .571 hitting percentage.

The second set started off with Quinnipiac grabbing the early lead once again before the Seawolves fought their way back, eventually grabbing a 10-6 advantage. It looked like SBU was going to pull away again, moving ahead by as many as six, but the Bobcats mounted a comeback, scoring five straight to pull within one at 14-13. Stony Brook's balanced offensive attack proved too much for Quinnipiac, however, as the Seawolves received kills from five different players on their way to a 25-16 win.

Stony Brook saved its best attacking for the final set, hitting .359 as a team as it cruised to a match-ending, 25-12, victory. Junior Ashley Headen (Alexandria, Va.) recorded a set-high seven kills while Calinda and freshman Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.) chipped in with five and three kills, respectively. Junior Jeanette Gibbs (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) served the final eight points of the match for the Seawolves, which included three aces.

After waiting more than four hours between matches, Stony Brook had a slow start to its first set against Iona, trailing 6-2 following three-straight aces from Iona's Sarah Wiener. It wasn't until the score was 20-12 that the Seawolves started to warm up, going on an 8-3 run to pull within three. Iona's lead was just too large for the Seawolves to overcome though, as the Gaels held on, 25-20.

Stony Brook wasted no time asserting itself in the second set, scoring the first four points, which included two kills from Calinda. SBU never took its foot off the pedal as they cruised to a 25-11 win. Headen recorded a team-high five kills as the Seawolves hit .381 as a team. Defensively, Stony Brook held the Gaels to a -.100 hitting percentage while recording three blocks and 20 digs.

The third set was tightly contested with neither team managing a lead of more than two points until the Gales strung together three consecutive scores to pull ahead 16-13. Iona extended its lead to as many as six before eventually pulling out the 25-20 win.

Trailing two sets to one Stony Brook opened an early 6-2 lead on the Gaels. The Seawolves maintained that lead, eventually leading 16-10 on a quick attack by sophomore Kelsey Sullivan (Hamilton, Va.). SBU failed to close the door, however, as the Gales scored nine of the next ten points to pull ahead 19-17. The Seawolves battled back, though, retaking the lead at 21-20 on a kill by Headen. After leaving the game temporarily with an injured knee, Calinda came up huge for the Seawolves down the stretch, recording a kill and a block with senior Lindsey Gordon (N. Patchogue, N.Y.), as SBU held on for the 26-24 win.

The fifth and deciding set opened with a long rally that eventually went Iona's way on a kill from Sarah Wiener. The Gaels maintained their lead until the Seawolves tied it at 4-4 on a block by Gordon and Strenger. Iona would go on to outscore Stony Brook 11-6, however, as it held on for the victory.

Stony Brook will play two matches on Saturday, facing Marist at 10:00 a.m. before playing host Columbia at noon.