LOCATION: SEFCU Arena - Albany, N.Y.
 
SHORT STORY: The Great Danes fought two hard battles but St. John's and Colgate came away with the wins against UAlbany.
 
COACH JOSH PICKARD: "We had two tough matches today. We came out of the gate in both matches and unfortunately weren't able to sustain that level of play. Both St. John's and Colgate made adjustments and we had trouble changing our play. Tomorrow presents new opportunities and chances to grow and we are looking forward to it."
 
GAME ONE
 
SCORE: St. John's 3, UAlbany 1 (25-27, 25-19, 25-14, 25-14)
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 2-3, 0-0 America East | St. John's 1-3, 0-0 Big East
 
KEY STATS

• Freshman Oren Abutbul led the Great Danes' offense with 10 kills against the Red Storm.
• On the other side, senior Charlotte Macken led with 14 digs while senior Regan Wright and junior Malea Stanton followed with 10 each.
• As has been established in past games, Stanton and freshman Elaina Wamhoff continued on an even playing field in the setter's position. Stanton totaled 16 assists and Wamhoff led with 17.
• UAlbany earned four service aces against the Red Storm from Wright, Macken, sophomore Hannah Rowe, and senior Anna Chalupa.
• On the block, senior Kamara Kelly earned the only two solo blocks but freshman Anissia Wong and Abutbul each earned four assisted blocks to lead the team in total blocks.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first set started out close and continued close. UAlbany held the largest point differential with a 10-7 lead before taking the 27-25 set win.
• The second set was much like the first, a close set, right up until the end when the Red Storm went from a 17-17 tied score to a 25-19 win.
• St. John's earned an early lead and kept it in both the third and fourth sets for the match win, 3-1.

 
GAME TWO
 
SCORE: Colgate 3, UAlbany 1 (14-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-16)
 
RECORDS: UAlbany 2-4, 0-0 America East | Colgate 1-2, 0-0 Patriot League
 
KEY STATS

• Senior Regan Wright and junior Kamara Kelly led the team's offense with 11 kills each while Kelly earned the team's sole ace on the night.
• A setter by day, junior Malea Stanton tallied 22 assists but also earned two successful kills with both attacks.
• Freshman Lilou Stegeman led the Great Danes' blockers, earning seven on the night.
• Senior Charlotte Macken tallied 19 digs to lead the team, and Wright followed with 15 digs.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Great Danes jumped to an early lead in the first set, going from a 3-3 tie to a 12-6 edge.
• The Raiders attempted to keep up with UAlbany but the Purple and Gold continued to add about three points for every one Colgate point for an eventual 25-14 win.
• Set two was a closer set, the largest point differential was a five-point lead held by the Raiders in the middle of the set. The Great Danes attempted to make up for the lost points but it wasn't enough as Colgate took set two, 25-22.
• The Raiders jumped to an early lead in the third set that UAlbany was unable to overcome.
• The Great Danes kept up with Colgate throughout the first half of the fourth set but the Raiders quickly jumped from an 8-6 edge to a 16-8 lead before eventually taking the set, 25-16.

 
NEXT: The Great Danes will continue with the Crowne Plaza Albany - The Desmond Hotel Volleyball Classic tomorrow, September 4 with a 7 p.m. game against Cornell.