UAlbany Volleyball Strikes First but Downed in Four to Yale in Colgate Classic

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HAMILTON, N.Y. – The UAlbany volleyball team has a dominant opening set to begin the Colgate Classic, but fell to Yale in four (25-15, 21-25, 20-25, 17-25) on Friday.

“We played really well and executed our gameplan in the first set, but maybe three weeks in a row on the road is getting to us,” said UAlbany coach MJ Engstrom. “Yale did a great job adjusting to what we did, and we didn't make the switch to “Plan B” very effectively.  [Gabrielle] Hansen did a good job of using her serves as a weapon.”

Tatum Jungsten earned a season-high 10 kills for UAlbany (3-4) with just one attack error for a .409 hitting %.  Laini Leindecker and Shannon Hurley each had 13 kills, with the former adding 11 digs for the double-double.  Mikala McCauley also had a double-double with 40 assists and 11 digs while Nicole Otero and Gabrielle Hansen each had a team-high 22 digs.

For Yale (2-2), Maya Midzik hit .762 with 16 kills and five blocks.  Brittani Steinburg had a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs as did Kelsey Crwaford with 38 assists and 10 digs.

At 2-2 in the first set, helped with a couple of kills each from Jungsten and Hurley, UAlbany earned six of the next seven points to go ahead 8-3.  Yale got the following three points to pull within two.  UAlbany got back the three points, capped by two Dolan blocks, then, following a Yale point, Hurley notched a kill to send Hansen back to serve.  Hansen served successfully six-straight times as UAlbany completed a 7-0 run to build an 18-7 advantage.  Yale put up a couple pairs of points, but UAlbany kept a strong lead and won 25-15 in set one.

The second set started more evenly as a kill and block by Dolan helped UAlbany tie the set at 7-7.  Kelsey Crawford earned a kill then served Yale through a 4-0 sprint for an 11-7 lead.  After some exchanges, two Midzik kills helped Yale lead 16-11.  UAlbany charged forward as Leindecker earned three kills in a 7-1 run, sending the Great Danes up 19-17, later 20-18.  The Bulldogs got the next three to retake the lead.  Jungsten earned a kill to tie up the set, but four-straight Yale kills ended the set in favor of the Bulldogs 25-21 to even up the match.

Leindecker and Hurley kept landing attacks on the outside in the opening of the third set.  Three Leindecker kills helped UAlbany take an early 4-2 lead.  Midzik countered on the other end with kills as Yale went up 10-9.  UAlbany's front row went to work, crushing six kills in seven points, three by Jungsten in the middle, to give the Great Danes a 15-11 lead.  After a UAlbany error, Kelly Johnson's serving and points from Midzik helped the Bulldogs go ahead 18-15.  UAlbany tried to get back ahead but did not put together consecutive points the rest of the game, falling 25-20 to go down 2-1 in the match.

Down 2-0 in the fourth, a Chloe Lamb kill and two more from Jungsten pushed UAlbany up 3-2.  Yale got four of the next five for a 6-4 advantage, later going up 9-6.  With a Leindecker kill, UAlbany pulled to within one, but a 4-0 Yale run made the score 14-9.  At 16-10, kills by Leindecker, Hurley and Leindecker again pulled the team within three, but that is as close as the Great Danes got.  Brittani Steinburg had three late kills as Yale won set four 25-17 to take the match 3-1.

UAlbany will play a pair of matches tomorrow to finish out the invitational, taking on Rutgers at 10 a.m. and Colgate at 7 p.m.