STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The Stony Brook volleyball team fought back from down two sets and earned a come-from-behind five-set victory (15-25, 18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-5) over the North Carolina A&T Aggies Sunday at Pritchard Gymnasium. The Seawolves were led by a double-double from Leoni Kunz, who registered 16 kills and 17 digs on the day.
MATCH SUMMARY
SET 1 | The Seawolves fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-15. Stony Brook trailed by as many as 10 points as N.C. A&T grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was knotted up two times before the Aggies took control.
SET 2 | Stony Brook lost set two 25-18, falling into a two-set disadvantage in the match. Stony Brook trailed by as many as seven points after N.C. A&T grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Aggies took over the lead.
SET 3 | After losing the opening two sets, Stony Brook fought back to take set three and make it a 2-1 match. The Seawolves trailed by as many as seven points at 11-4 before fighting back to win 25-23. Stony Brook grabbed the lead at 17-16 and hung on for the set win, collecting 18 kills in the process. The Stony Brook offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Stony Brook continued their comeback, winning the fourth set 26-24 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Seawolves came out on top of a close battle, winning in a stanza that was tied two times and had two lead changes.
SET 5 | Stony Brook dropped the first two sets, but put together an epic rally to win the last three sets, culminating in a 15-5 fifth-set victory. The Seawolves led from the opening point on in the fifth set to earn the victory. Stony Brook opened up an 11-point lead at 11-0 before closing out the set. Stony Brook supplemented its offense with three aces in the final set.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook dropped the first two sets of the match before rallying to win the final three.
- The Seawolves had four players in double figures in kills and digs.
- Torri Henry had a match-high four aces and 57 assists in the win.
- Kunz registered a double-double with a team-high 16 kills to go along with 17 digs
- Stony Brook rallied from being down by seven points to win the fourth set, scoring the final six points to erase a 24-20 deficit.
- The Seawolves ultimately ripped off 17 straight points, starting the fifth set with 11 straight en route to a 15-5 set win.
- Stony Brook served up three aces on the way to a fifth-set victory.
- Julia Patsos posted a match-high 27 digs.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"To find a way to fight back after A&T made some really good defensive adjustments took a lot of grit and I'm proud of our group for continuing to compete and find a way," head coach Kristin Belzung said. "I thought we stayed aggressive when they put pressure on us and I'm happy the result matches the effort we put out today. It's a quick turnaround to head to Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday."
NEXT UP
Stony Brook heads to New Jersey to take on Fairleigh Dickinson in a mid-week, non-conference tilt. The Seawolves and Knights do battle on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 6:00 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
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