Sept. 12, 2009

Marist Box Score
Columbia Box Score

New York, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's volleyball team swept Marist, 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-19), before toppling Columbia, 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-18, 25-15), on Saturday at the Columbia Invitational. Junior Ashley Headen (Alexandria, Va.) had a great all-around day for the Seawolves recording a team-high 24 kills and seven blocks in the two matches. Junior Jeanette Gibbs (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) posted a career-high in digs with 34 in the win over Columbia. With the two wins, Stony Brook improves to 4-8 on the season.

Stony Brook stumbled out of the gate in its first match against Marist, falling behind 5-1. Still trailing at 9-5, the Seawolves went on a 9-3 run to move ahead of the Red Foxes by two. Despite a timeout by Marist, SBU continued to dominate the match, limiting the Red Foxes to just three more points as it pulled away with a 25-15 win. Senior Lindsey Gordon (N. Patchogue, N.Y.) converted on five of her seven attacks, posting a .714 hitting percentage.

Stony Brook's strong play continued into the second set as it jumped out to a 6-1 advantage. An ace by Gibbs would stretch the Seawolves lead to 11 at 21-10 before a handful of errors allowed Marist back into the set. The Red Foxes would score nine of the next ten points on six Stony Brook errors to pull within three at 22-19. That was as close as Marist would get, though, as the Seawolves held on for a 25-21 victory.

Behind a .406 team hitting percentage and four kills each from Headen and senior Harmonie Calinda (Huntington, N.Y.), the Seawolves eased their way to a deciding 25-19 win in the final set of the match. Marist's Alexandra Schultze tied the score at 1-1 on her first of six kills in the set, but SBU pulled away from there, using a 12-4 run to build a lead it would never relinquish.

Calinda, who was one of three Seawolves to record double-digit kills, fell just one dig shy of recording a double-double, ending her consecutive double-double streak at ten matches.

Stony Brook would be without its leading attacker in its second match of the game as Calinda sat with an injured knee. The Seawolves didn't seem to miss a stride, though, as they lead early against Columbia, eventually stretching their advantage to seven at 17-10. The Lions would not go quietly, however, as they battled back, eventually taking the opening set, 26-24.

Columbia carried the momentum from its comeback victory into the second set, leading the Seawolves 4-1. SBU would rally off seven straight points, however, highlighted by two kills from Headen to jump in front 8-4. Behind a .368 hitting percentage and four blocks, Stony Brook kept the Lions from scoring more than two points in-a-row for the rest of the match as it evened the score at one set apiece.

Similar to the second set, Columbia lead early in the third before the Seawolves mounted a comeback, scoring five straight points, including three kills from freshman Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.), to move ahead 7-4. Strenger would register a match-high five kills while the defense of Gibbs, seniors Lisa Doremus (Glendale, Ariz.) and Michelle Burrola (Glendale, Ariz.) and sophomore Bianca Hernandez (East Moriches, N.Y.) held the Lions a .114 hitting percentage by digging a combined 27 balls.

In the fourth set, it was Stony Brook's turn to grab a quick lead, as back-to-back kills by Doremus and Gordon and an error by the Lions gave the Seawolves a 3-1 advantage. Behind a .342 hitting percentage, SBU slowly pull away from the Lions, winning the match with a 25-15 decision.

Strenger's 15 kills led a group of four Seawolves with double-digit kills, while sophomore Kelsey Sullivan (Hamilton, Va.) and freshman Corinne Perry (Northport, N.Y.) dished out 22 and 27 assists, respectively.

Stony Brook's next match will be on Tuesday, when it travels to take on Manhattan. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.