HAMILTON, NY – Leoni Kunz and Kali Moore both registered double-doubles, leading the Stony Brook volleyball team to a four-set win over the Buffalo Bulls on Friday evening at Cotterell Court on the campus of Colgate University. The victory improves the Seawolves' overall record to 4-0, the first time since the 1991 season.
Kunz finished with 19 kills and 10 digs on the night to lead the Stony Brook offense with a .390 hitting percentage, while Moore contributed 12 kills and 10 digs.
Ayanna Pierre Louis added six kills to help the offense, as
Torri Henry dished out 40 assists. Defensively, Henry chipped in 17 digs and
Julia Patsos added 15. Pierre Louis recorded a team-high five blocks for the Seawolves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | Stony Brook endured a back-and-forth first set to win,25-21, in a stanza that featured two lead changes and 10 ties as neither team led by more than four points. The Seawolves held an offensive advantage with 12 kills on .235 hitting.
SET 2 | Stony Brook fell in set two, 25-22, to even the match at one set apiece. The Seawolves fell in a back-and-forth set, that was similar to the opening frame in showcasing five lead changes and nine ties. Neither team led by more than three points along the way. This time, the Bulls dominated with 15 kills on .182 hitting.
SET 3 | Stony Brook then got back on the winning track, emerging victorious in set three. The Seawolves scored first and never trailed in the set to secure a 25-17 victory. Stony Brook opened up as much as an eight-point lead at 24-16 before finishing off the set. The Stony Brook offense got a boost from four aces and the front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Buffalo attacks.
SET 4 | Stony Brook kept the momentum going, closing out the match with a 25-23 fourth-set victory. A solid showing on the attacking end led the Seawolves to victory as they put together a .313 hitting percentage with 15 kills in the final set. After the lead changed hands one time, the Seawolves took control for good at 12-11 and rode that advantage to their fourth-straight win.
STATS AND NOTES
- Graduate student outside hitter Leoni Kunz registered her 17th career double-double with a team-high 19 kills and 10 digs, while adding three blocks.
- Junior outside hitter Kali Moore notched her 22nd career double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. She also tallied three aces, two blocks, and one assist.
- Sophomore middle blocker Ayanna Pierre Louis had a match-high five blocks an and three aces in the win. She also recorded six kills and four digs.
- Graduate student setter Torri Henry dished out 40 assists and a team-high 17 digs.
- Stony Brook is 5-3 all-time against Buffalo, with victories in their last three meetings.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Another good fight from our team today. It wasn't a very clean match overall but we fought to be disciplined and follow the game plan and that's hard sometimes so I'm proud of our group. It's exciting to start the weekend with a win! We have a quick turnaround vs UCONN tomorrow afternoon," said head coach Kristin Belzung.
NEXT UP
The Seawolves continue play in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament as they take on UCONN tomorrow at 2 p.m. This will be the second meeting between these two programs, and the first time since 2004.
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