(11-08-08) MANCHESTER, N.H. - One day after clinching the top seed in next week's Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference tournament, the University of New Haven women's volleyball team captured its first NE-10 regular season title by sweeping St. Anselm (25-14, 25-16, 25-18). New Haven (25-3, 14-0 NE-10) increases its winning streak to 21 games and finishes its regular season NE-10 schedule undefeated in its inaugural season in the conference.
St. Anselm falls to 3-19, 0-14 NE-10 with the loss.
The Chargers wasted no time on Saturday afternoon, taking a 5-1 lead behind the serving of senior Brittani Cotton. After St. Anselm closed the gap, New Haven used a pair of four-point runs to take a comfortable 14-7 advantage. The Chargers served tough in the final points of the first set, tallying three aces in their last eight points to take the set.
After exchanging side outs for the first 11 combined points of set two, the Chargers took a 8-5 lead on a St. Anselm hitting error and never looked back. New Haven then rattled off five-point and four-point runs to extend its advantage to 18-9. Seniors Rhe-Ann Niles and Akilah Phillips then each had kills down the stretch as the Chargers grabbed the second set. New Haven did not allow St. Anselm more than two consecutive points during set.
St. Anselm came out with purpose in the third set, taking a 4-0 lead early. The Chargers answered with a run of their own, tying the set at 5-5. The set remained close as the teams exchanged points until the score was tied at 12-12. New Haven would score two points for every one St. Anselm point until the Chargers gained a 20-16 advantage late in the set. New Haven's block finished off St. Anselm as Brittani Cotton had a solo stuff while Niles and setter Yael Rosner combined for a block to end the match.
The Chargers attack was led by Niles who had an error-free 12 kills on just 14 swings (.857 hitting percentage). Niles currently leads the nation in hitting percentage at .484.
Freshman Elizabeth Akinbiyi had a strong game out of the middle for New Haven, finishing with seven kills on 11 attempts with just two errors (.455 hitting percentage).
Rosner ran the Chargers' offense efficiently, dishing out a game-high 33 assists.
New Haven out-blocked St. Anselm, 10-0, and also out-dug the Hawks, 29-24.
The Chargers now set their sights on the NE-10 Conference Tournament. The tournament is hosted by Post University and begins on Friday, November 14. More information on the tournament will be released as it becomes available.
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