UAlbany Volleyball Opens at Home vs. Reigning AE Champion UNH and Hartford
UAlbany Game Notes
Watch Live on AmericaEast.tv: New Hampshire | Hartford
ALBANY, N.Y. – The UAlbany volleyball team will have its first home matches at the University Gym this weekend, taking on two-time defending America East champion New Hampshire on Friday, October 2nd at 7 p.m. and conference opponent Hartford on Sunday, October 4th at 2 p.m.
Both matches at the University Gym in the PE Building may be attended free of charge to the public. For those that cannot attend, the matches will be streamed online for free on AmericaEast.tv.
UAlbany came back from down two sets to defeat Binghamton 3-2 to stand at 1-0 in-conference and 6-7 overall. UNH shutout Hartford to begin America East play at 1-0 and improve to 9-7 overall, sending Hartford, which will face Binghamton on Friday, to 0-1 in league play and 0-15 overall.
UAlbany leads the overall series against New Hampshire 18-15, with the Wildcats taking two of three matches last year, including the 2014 America East title match in four sets. The Great Danes have won their last nine meetings against Hartford dating back to 2010, including a regular season sweep last year, for a 25-4 record against the Hawks.
After the first weekend of conference play between the travel partners, UAlbany, New Hampshire and Stony Brook all are at 1-0 with wins over Binghamton, Hartford and UMBC respectively.
Down two sets in the match, UAlbany came back to defeat its SUNY rival Binghamton in five to open America East play last Friday. Laini Leindecker earned a double-double on 15 kills and 22 digs. Chloe Lamb notched the match-winning kill in the fifth set, earning 10 kills, the same amount that Tatum Jungsten did.
UAlbany and UNH met in the 2014 America East title match. UAlbany took set two and led set three late but fell in four games. Laini Leindecker had a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs for UAlbany; Demi Muses led UNH, hitting .355 with 14 kills, 15 digs and five blocks.
On November 7th, 2014, UAlbany defeated Hartford on the road in four sets to sweep the regular season series. Amanda Dolan hit .478 in the match with 11 kills and five blocks. For Hartford, Sareeta Nethersole earned 17 kills and 12 digs.
Reigning America East Player of the Week Leindecker is the conference leader in kills per set, standing with 171 kills and 175 digs. Jungsten is hitting .265 with 83 kills and 41 total blocks, adding 10 service aces. Nicole Otero, the two-time reigning America East Defensive Specialist of the Week, leads UAlbany with 254 digs, adding 10 aces.
A First Team All-Conference outside hitter in 2014, senior Tori Forrest is the UNH leader in kills with 167, adding 14 aces and 164 digs. Junior middle blocker Demi Muses has many team-bests, hitting .267 with 167 kills, 16 aces and 40 blocks. At libero is senior Madison Lightfoot, a 2014 Second Team All-Conference player that stands with 244 digs and 10 aces.
Hartford, under first-year head coach Mitch Kallick, is led in kills by freshman outside hitter Paulina Modestow with 116 and aces with 12. In the middle stands 5th-year senior Kathryn Gawrych, who hits .149 with 45 kills, seven aces and 30 blocks. Sophomore outside Katy Henchy has 100 kills and 18 blocks.
