INDIANAPOLIS – The Stony Brook volleyball team rebounded from a morning defeat to Oakland with a thrilling comeback win over Eastern Michigan in the second and final day of the Bulldog Brawl Saturday at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse. Stony Brook fell to Oakland in three sets (23-25, 20-25, 13-25) before knocking off Eastern Michigan in five sets (25-21, 21-25, 19-25, 26-24, 15-11). With the victory over Eastern Michigan, the Seawolves improve to 1-3 on the year.
 
Coach Belzung's Take
"I'm really proud of our team for finding a way to compete to earn a win this afternoon. We are finding ways to improve in each set against good competition."
 
By the Numbers vs. Oakland
- Juniors Emily Costello (Webster, N.Y.) and McKyla Brooks (Blasdell, N.Y.) tallied 10 kills each. Costello collected 11 digs.
- Freshman Kiani Kerstetter (Cardiff, Calif.) recorded 10 digs.
- Sophomore LeAnne Sakowicz (Wauconda, Ill.) notched 30 assists, seven digs and three-blocks.
- The Seawolves held a 7-6 advantage in blocks.
 
By the Numbers vs. Eastern Michigan
- Stony Brook trailed 18-14 in the fourth set before rattling off a 6-1 run. The Seawolves were down 24-23 in the fourth before a pair of Costello kills and a Brooks ace forced the fifth set.
- Costello posted 13 kills and a career-high 20 digs.
- Sophomore Maria Poole (Stavanger, Norway) added 12 kills in her 2017 debut.
- Sakowicz chipped in eight kills, 45 assists and 11 digs. The 45 assists were two shy of a career-high.
- Kerstetter tallied 22 digs in the win, while senior Abby Hickey (DeKalb, Ill.) added a career-high 14.
 
Notes
- Costello has posted a double-double in kills and digs in three of four matches this season. She was named to the Bulldog Brawl all-tournament team for her efforts over the weekend.
- The win over Eastern Michigan was the first in the head coaching career of Kristin Belzung.
- The victory over the Eagles was the Seawolves' third over a MAC member in the last four seasons. Stony Brook defeated Western Michigan in 2014 and Villanova in 2015.
- The Seawolves drop to 0-3 all-time against Oakland and improve to 1-0 against Eastern Michigan.
- Stony Brook has out-blocked two opponents this season in its first four matches (Robert Morris, Oakland). The Seawolves had the upper hand in blocks just five times in 2016.
 
Up Next
The Seawolves return to action Friday when they face Harvard at 7 p.m. to open a weekend invitational in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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