TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Stony Brook volleyball team faced tough competition on its first day at the Home2 Suites Tallahassee Seminole Invitational, falling to both St. John's (19-25, 17-25, 16-25) and No. 25 Florida State (21-25, 14-25, 23-25) at Tully Gym.
Freshman
Amiyah De'Long (Anaheim, Calif.) tallied 20 kills through both matches to lead the Seawolves and helped sparked a 16-3 Stony Brook run in the third set against the Seminoles that gave the team a late 23-20 advantage.
Coach Belzung's Reaction
"I'm proud of our group for bouncing back after an uncharacteristic effort this morning to come ready to compete tonight. The margin for error against a top-25 program is slim and Florida State showed us that but I appreciated our willingness to be gritty defensively. We also got to see the value of taking some aggressive risks offensively.
By the Numbers vs. No. 25 Florida State
- De'Long hit double-figures in kills with 11, she also earned a trio of digs and one block.
- Freshman
Julia Kim (Batavia, Ill.) led all players with 27 assists while junior
Kiani Kerstetter (Cardiff, Calif.) also led all players with 15 digs.
- Senior
Kardasia Hitchcock (Alexander City, Ala.) backed Kerstetter up with 11 digs.
-
Paige Jaeger (Oconomowoc, Wis.) notched a career-high three service aces.
- The senior duo of
Liz Pulver (Temecula, Calif.) and
Kendra Harlow (St. James, N.Y.) combined for 17 kills.
Notes
- This marks the third time this season that De'Long has recorded 10-plus kills in a single match.
- Both teams were evenly matched in kills with 37 apiece.
- This was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
By the Numbers vs. St. John's
- De'Long once again paced the Seawolves offensively with nine kills and was second on the squad with five digs.
- Kim logged 28 assists in addition to four digs.
- Kerstetter was the team-leader in digs with eight.
- Pulver pitched in eight kills while senior
Maria Poole (Stavanger, Norway) and redshirt freshman
Nia Wattley (Dallas, Texas) each blocked a pair of attacks.
Notes
- Kim's assist total (28) is the most she's put up in a three-set match.
- The Seawolves are now 2-13 all-time against St. John's.
Up Next
Stony Brook closes out its time in Florida tomorrow at noon, taking on Florida A&M at the Rattler's Al Lawson Center.
