STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Stony Brook volleyball team fired back after dropping the first and fourth set to secure a 3-2 victory against the Elon Phoenix on Sunday afternoon in Pritchard Gymnasium.
The Seawolves were led by double-doubles from both Kali Moore, who had 24 kills and 14 digs and Leoni Kunz, who had 14 kills and 17 digs. Abby Campbell also added 12 kills to help the offense. Torri Henry pitched in 50 assists and 11 digs, along with a career-high seven aces. On the defensive end, Julia Patsos chipped in for with 16 digs to go with four blocks from Ayanna Pierre Louis.
The series sweep this weekend boosted the Seawolves' record to 13-7 overall and 6-4 in CAA action. Charleston and Hofstra lead the conference with 9-1 records, while Delaware and Towson (7-3) follow closely behind. Stony Brook and N.C. A&T round out the top six (6-4) with less than a month to go in the regular season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Seawolves fought back from a 10-point 16-6 deficit in the first set, but Elon held on to win, 26-24. Stony Brook tallied 15 kills, hitting .174 as Moore led with five kills and five other players added at least one.
SET 2 | Stony Brook fired back after dropping the first set to take set two, 25-15. The Seawolves led from the opening point and earned its biggest lead of the stanza (10 points) to close it out and secure the set victory. The squad totaled 15 kills in the process, hitting a match-high .333 as
Abby Campbell led with five kills through the set.
SET 3 | Stony Brook built on that second-set success with a 25-21 set three victory to open up a 2-1 match lead. The Seawolves took over in the second half with three prior lead changes. Moore tallied six kills, while Kunz and
Quinn Anderson added four and three, respectively. The Stony Brook offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Stony Brook couldn't keep the win streak going, as the Phoenix forced a fifth set with a 25-22 win. The Seawolves battled back from a seven-point hole at 11-4, but it wasn't enough as Elon held on to win the fourth. They hit a match-high .296 with 11 kills as Stony Brook hit a team-low .108.
SET 5 | Stony Brook opened a 2-1 lead and held off Elon's rally attempt with a fourth set victory, to win the fifth set 15-4 and ultimately, the match. The Seawolves scored first and never trailed in the fifth set to earn the victory. Stony Brook opened up as much as a 12-point lead before finishing off the set. The squad hit a match-high .333 with Moore, Pierre Louis, Campbell, and Kunz leading the charge and helping the team securing their first conference sweep of the season.
STATS AND NOTES
- Kali Moore recorded her 28th career double-double with a team-high 24 kills, hitting .377 and 14 digs. She tallied five aces and one assist to her final stat line.
- Leoni Kunz registered her 26th career double-double with 14 kills and a team-high 17 digs. She added three assists and three blocks in the Seawolves victory.
- Stony Brook had three players in double figures in kills (Moore, Kunz, and Campbell).
- Stony Brook had four players in double figures in digs (Kunz, Patsos, Moore, and Henry).
- Torri Henry had a match-high 50 assists and a career-high seven aces in the win.
- The Seawolves are 3-1 all-time against the Phoenix with wins coming in the last three meetings.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"To get two wins this weekend was huge. Today we weren't in a great serve and pass rhythm which is really challenging so I'm happy we were able to get the result. I thought we came together when we needed to and we're able to be aggressive when it got tight so I'm proud of our group," stated head coach Kristin Belzung.
NEXT UP
The Seawolves will return to the court next weekend when they ship up to Boston to battle Northeastern on Friday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. Stony Brook will look to secure its first victory against the Huskies since 2003 in their 16th meeting all-time.
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