GREENSBORO, N.C. -The Stony Brook volleyball team secured a five-set victory in dramatic fashion, taking down the North Carolina A&T Aggies on Sunday afternoon to conclude the weekend with a series split. The win boosted the Seawolves' record to 11-7 overall and 4-4 in CAA play.
The Seawolves were led by a double-double from
Leoni Kunz, who registered 23 kills and 16 digs on the day, while
Kali Moore,
Quinn Anderson, and
Abby Campbell all tallied double digit kills to contribute to the Seawolves attack.
Torri Henry dished out 60 assists to help the attackers. On the defensive end,
Julia Patsos chipped in for with 20 digs to go with three blocks from
Ayanna Pierre Louis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Seawolves took set one, 25-21, helped by a solid performance on the attacking end. Stony Brook put together a .379 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set win.
Kali Moore led the charge with five kills through the opening frame. After the lead changed hands six times, the Seawolves took control late and rode that advantage to victory.
SET 2 | Stony Brook won the second set, 25-16, to quickly jump to a 2-0 lead. The Seawolves took an early lead and never trailed securing the victory. Stony Brook opened its biggest lead of the stanza, nine points, to finish off the set, totaling 16 kills while only notching one attack error along the way. The Stony Brook offense also got a boost from three aces by way of Patsos and Henry in the stanza.
SET 3 | Stony Brook couldn't finish off the sweep, losing the third set 25-22. The Seawolves rallied from a seven-point deficit but were unable to piece together the win. N.C. A&T had their best performance of the day in set three, hitting .375 with 16 kills and only one error.
SET 4 | Stony Brook then dropped their second straight set, 25-20, to bring the match level. The Aggies grabbed a late advantage, and Stony Brook was unable to recover in a set that was tied up nine times. Moore and Kunz dominated for the offense, but it wasn't enough for the Seawolves to squeak out a win.
SET 5 | Stony Brook needed a fifth set victory after winning the first two sets and N.C. A&T responded to take the third and fourth sets. The Seawolves came out on top of a close fifth-set battle, 19-17, winning the deciding set that was tied eight times and had five lead changes. The Stony Brook victory came in a set where 12 of their 19 points came via the kill, thanks to Kunz, Moore, Anderson, and Campbell.
STATS AND NOTES
- Leoni Kunz registered her 24th career double-double with a match-high 23 kills and 16 digs, hitting .380 on the day.
- Stony Brook had four players in double figures in kills (Kunz, Moore, Anderson, and Campbell).
- Stony Brook had three players in double figures in digs ( Patsos, Kunz, and Henry).
- Torri Henry dished out 60 assists, her second highest total since last season against N.C. A&T (61 assists). She has recorded 50 or more assists in a match for the fifth time this season.
- Julia Patsos had a team-high 20 digs and three aces in the win.
- The Seawolves are 3-1 against the Aggies in all-time meetings with all matches going to five sets.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"To come out of the weekend with this win is big for the conference standings. It was gritty defensively by both teams as the match went on and I'm proud of our group for gutting this one out. We're excited to be back in Pritchard next weekend," noted head coach
Kristin Belzung postgame.
NEXT UP
The Seawolves return to the court next weekend when they host Elon on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. inside Pritchard Gymnasium. Stony Brook is 1-1 all-time against the Phoenix after defeating them in their last meeting in five sets last season in North Carolina. Coverage is available on FloVolleyball.
For an inside look at the Seawolves volleyball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
