STONY BROOK, N.Y. — After fighting hard in a four-set loss to Ivy power Yale, the Stony Brook volleyball team earned a split of a two-game Saturday after defeating St. Thomas (MN) in straight sets to end the 2021 Stony Brook Invitational on a high note with a 25-20, 25-17, 25-10 victory over the Tommies.
Leoni Kunz led a pair of Seawolves with double-figure kills at 13, as eight different Stony Brook players recorded one on the night, including libero
Kiani Kerstetter.
After a tight first set in the nightcap, Stony Brook was able to roll in the final two to improve to 4-6 on the season. Neither team had a lead larger than five in the opening frame, with the squads trading the final 10 points in the stanza. Stony Brook started and ended the second frame strong, scoring five of the first six points and closing the set with seven of the final nine to go up 2-0. At 4-3 in the third,
Kristin Belzung's club put its foot on the gas, going on a 9-1 run to put the Minnesota school away for good and earn the sweep.
In the opening match of the day, the Seawolves earned a convincing first-set victory, hitting .481 with 17 kills to win the opening set 25-13. The second set was their's for the taking, with four set points coming Stony Brook's way, but Yale was able to prevail in the end, turning a 28-27 deficit into a 30-28 set victory. The Bulldogs would control the rest of the way, making just five offensive errors combined in the final two sets to win the match in four.
STATS AND NOTES
- Amiyah De'Long led the way for Stony Brook's attack, recording 28 kills combined in the two matches. She has recorded double-figure kills in five consecutive matches and all but two this season.
- Her match with the Tommies was her most efficient of the season, hitting .476 on the night.
- Kerstetter's kill was the first of her 2021 campaign and just the fourth of her career. She's recorded one in each season on campus except for 2018.
- The team's eight errors against St. Thomas are the fewest since an October 28, 2018 match against UMass Lowell.
- Stony Brook's hitting percentage of .398 against the Tommies is also the most efficient offensive day since September 28, 2018.
- Nia Wattley matched her season high with four kills in the nightcap. She also hit that number against Morgan State on September 3.
- Torri Henry tallied her fourth double double of the season in the opener, finishing with 33 assists and 10 digs.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"It was great to have this weekend at home in Pritchard and we definitely grew through the weekend. I thought we started really strong against Yale this morning and as they put pressure on us, we seemed to lose our confidence. I was excited to have an opportunity to react positively and I thought we managed the St Thomas match well and made improvements and adjustments as the match went along. It's another quick turnaround for a big home match vs. St John's on Tuesday!" - head coach
Kristin Belzung
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Gigi Barr - Yale (MVP)
Bonnie Bostic - Yale
Mila Yarich - Yale
Leoni Kunz - Stony Brook
Torri Henry - Stony Brook
Lauren Kersey - Tarleton State
Lauren Galvin - St. Thomas
UP NEXT
The Seawolves end their five-game homestand on Tuesday night, hosting another local rival in St. John's at 6 p.m. at Pritchard Gym. It will culminate the squad's home non-conference schedule and cue up a stretch of six in a row away from Pritchard, three of which will be America East contests.
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