SCORE: 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-17)
 
LOCATION: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena - Baltimore, Md.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 14-14, 8-4 America East | New Hampshire 16-12, 7-5 America East
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes dominated the Wildcats to tally an America East semifinal victory in straight sets, Friday night.
 
COACH JOSH PICKARD: "I am proud of the execution of the team tonight in all facets of the game. We were operating on a high level. Malea [Stanton] did a fantastic job and our passers made life easier for her. I am looking forward to some rest and another great match tomorrow." 
 
KEY STATS

• Freshman Oren Abutbul led with 13 kills and a .550 hitting percentage.
• Graduate student Danielle Tedesco and senior Grace Cozad followed with 10 kills each. 
• Senior Regan Wright finished second on the team with a .389 hitting percentage.
• Junior Malea Stanton tallied 41 assists.
• Freshman Lilou Stegeman totaled two of the team's three service aces and a team-high five blocks, including the sole Great Dane solo block.
• Senior Charlotte Macken led the team's defense with 13 digs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes began the match with the first point coming from an Oren Abutbul kill.
• The set remained back-and-forth until UAlbany tallied the first multi-point lead as Grace Cozad hit a kill for a 9-7 advantage, before adding a second kill to lead 10-7.
• The Great Danes continued with their lead until the Wildcats tied the score at 16. Coming out of the tie, 20-18, UAlbany won the first set, 25-21, with a kill from Lilou Stegeman.
• Opening the set with a 7-1 scoring run, the Great Danes dominated the second set. 
• UAlbany quickly earned a nine-point lead, 13-2, before the set became more back-and-forth play. 
• The Great Danes' original lead proved too much for the Wildcats and UAlbany took the second set, 25-13.
• For the third set in a row, the Great Danes tallied the first point. 
• At the beginning of the set, the play was back-and-forth but UAlbany compiled the first multi-point lead, 5-3, and continued until New Hampshire halted its scoring run for an 8-4 Great Dane lead.
• UAlbany gradually added to its lead with a three-point scoring run and a four-point scoring run before taking the set, 25-17, and the match, 3-0.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will advance to the America East Championship tomorrow, Saturday, November 20, at 4 p.m. They will play the winner of the first semifinal - UMBC.

For more information on the University at Albany volleyball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanyvb
Instagram - @ualbanyvb
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyVB