UAlbany Volleyball Shuts Out Reigning League Champion UNH
Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
DURHAM, N.H. – The UAlbany volleyball team earned a big road victory on Sunday, taking down defending America East champion New Hampshire in three (25-18, 25-23, 25-23).
“We had an outstanding team effort today against a very good team,” said UAlbany coach MJ Engstrom. “We had some strategic serving from Mikala [McCauley], Vik [Stroilo] and Tatum [Jungsten], which definitely helped our blocking and defense.
Olivia Schonewise hit .267 with 13 kills for UAlbany (4-11, 2-1 AE), while Laini Leindecker had 14 kills and eight digs. The team hit .190 and outblocked UNH 11-6, including Amanda Dolan earning six blocks and four kills. Mikala McCauley earned another double-double off 28 assists and 10 digs.
“We had great offensive production from our outsides, and we stayed focused and confident, which helped our aggressiveness in the two tight sets,” said Engstrom.
For UNH (9-11, 2-1 AE), Tori Forrest got a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs, hitting .295. Abby Brinkman concluded with eight kills and two digs.
The first set started roughly for UAlbany as UNH started on a 5-1 spurt, including two Cassdy Croci kills. Schonewise started the recovery with two kills in a row, sparking a 6-0 run off Viktoriia Stroilo's serving, making it 7-5, later 9-6. At 11-8 UA, Forrest had two kills in a 3-0 run to tie the set. After an exchange of points, a Leindecker kill, Schonewise kill, Leindecker ace and Schonewise kill rebuilt UAlbany's lead to four, then after a Brenna Buckwalter kill, a 3-0 surge for UAlbany put it up 19-13. Neither side got a long run the rest of the way as UAlbany cruised to victory 25-18.
Three early Leindecker kills helped UAlbany take a 4-2 advantage in the second game. UNH countered with a 4-0 run, to which UAlbany responded with its own 4-0 run, capped by a kill and block from McCauley. Each side again exchanged spurts, with UNH getting four of five points, and UAlbany repeating the feat to make it 14-12 UAlbany. Two Brinkman kills helped UNH get the lead to 17-15. Schonewise came through with three kills in four points to tie it up at 18-18. UNH surged forward with four straight kills, three from Forrest, to make it 22-18, later 23-19. UAlbany sided out on a Leindecker kill, sending McCauley to serve. A Demi Muses attack error, Leindecker kill and McCauley ace tied it up at 23. Then, the front row took over, with Leindecker and Dolan earning solo blocks in succession to steal the set from UNH 25-23 and go up 2-0 in the match.
McCauley continued her serving to begin the third set and kept going, beginning the set for UAlbany with a 5-0 run. UNH got three points back as the team followed with exchanges of points. At 10-9 UAlbany, the Great Danes took the next three, including a Tatum Jungsten ace, to lead 13-9, later leading 16-12. Including a Forrest kill and ace, UNH got the following three points, later tying the set up at 19-19. Leindecker earned a kill, then Dolan earned a solo block, to give UAlbany a 21-19 advantage. Back and forth the teams went, with UAlbany not giving up the lead. Following a Brinkman kill, UAlbany called timeout up 24-23. Schonewise earned the kill to seal the set 25-23, giving UAlbany the 3-0 victory.
UAlbany returns home and will play its next three matches in the University Gym, starting with a Friday contest against in-state rival Stony Brook on October 10th at 7 p.m.
