University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
4-6
Fresno State University
5-5
Volleyball Drops Decisions to Fresno State and Dartmouth to Conclude the St. John's Kaiser Classic
9/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
QUEENS, N.Y. -- The University of New Hampshire volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to Fresno State University, 3-1, and Dartmouth College, 3-2, to close out play at the St. John's University Kaiser Classic on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena.
Against the Bulldogs, the set scores were 25-23, 8-25, 16-25 and 17-25. In the match against the Big Green, the line score read 25-13, 21-25, 25-15, 20-25 and 11-15.
Junior outside hitters Abby Brinkman (Brecksville, Ohio) and Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) led UNH with 10 kills apiece in the first match. Senior setter Taylor Dunklau (Mukwonago, Wis.) dished out 26 assists. Junior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) commanded the backline with a team-high 12 digs.
Brinkman and Forrest paced the offense against the Big Green, slamming 15 kills each. Forrest recorded her team-leading fourth double-double by adding 12 digs. Dunklau quarterbacked the attack to hit .279 with a double-double effort of 32 assists and 11 digs. Lightfoot manned the backcourt, tallying 18 digs alongside three service aces.
Hitting at a .297 clip in the first set, the Wildcats kept pace with the Bulldogs as the score stood at 9-9 to begin the match. Fresno State jetted ahead, carving out a four-point advantage midway through the frame at 14-10. New Hampshire surged back with a 6-2 run to even the score at 16. The Wildcats continued their momentum, scoring four of the next five points to own a 20-17 advantage. UNH staved off Fresno State for the remainder of the set to claim the first set point.
Fresno State came out with a different mentality in the second set, registering the first seven points. The Wildcats called for a timeout trailing 14-3, but it was not enough to overrun the Bulldog's cushion. Fresno State claimed the second frame to tie the match score at 1-1.
UNH and FSU traded the first eight points of the set to start the third stanza. The Bulldogs rattled off four consecutive points to force a New Hampshire huddle. Despite a timeout called by UNH, Fresno State continued its run, tallying five more points to lead 13-4. The Wildcats could not cut into the deficit as the Bulldogs won set three and took a 2-1 match lead.
The Bulldogs again started strong in the fourth set, bolting out to a 9-2 lead. Coming out of the stoppage, UNH managed to reduce FSU's lead down to seven points at 13-6. The Wildcats were unable to muster a rally as Fresno State seized the decisive set.
In the second match against Dartmouth, UNH hit .414 in the opening frame. After falling behind 3-1, New Hampshire tallied 12 consecutive points to take a 12-3 lead. The Big Green retaliated with a four-point surge but the Wildcats matched the run to rebuild the nine-point cushion at 16-7, paving the way to earn the first game.
Both teams contested for the lead early, as Dartmouth owned a 12-11 edge to start the second stanza. Back-to-back kills by the Big Green forced the Wildcats to burn a timeout. The stoppage did not phase Dartmouth, constructing a 24-19 late in the set. The Wildcats cut the Big Green's advantage down to three with back-to-back kills. Despite the rally, Dartmouth claimed set point to even the score 1-1.
In the third set, New Hampshire started strong and stormed out to a 10-6 advantage. Coming out of a Dartmouth timeout, the Wildcats padded their lead to 19-11 and forced a second timeout by the Big Green. Registering a .353 attack percentage in the stanza, UNH offense continued to excel and regain the match lead, 2-1.
The Big Green staged its comeback in the fourth set and jolted to an 8-4 edge. Despite a huddle by the Wildcats, Dartmouth tallied four more points to build a 12-4 advantage. UNH engineered a 9-3 surge to narrow the Big Green lead down to three at 15-13. Dartmouth managed to stave off the rally and rattle off three consecutive points to force a UNH timeout. The Big Green preserved its cushion to force a fifth set.
Dartmouth owned the 6-3 advantage to begin the decisive set. The Big Green clung onto its three-point advantage at 11-8. Opting to take a timeout, New Hampshire clawed back to tie the score at the 11 mark. After a Dartmouth timeout, the Big Green collected the last four points of the match to defeat the Wildcats.
New Hampshire hosts Northeastern University to Lundholm Gymnasium for its first home match of the season Tuesday, Sept. 16 (7 p.m.). UNH wraps up regular season tournament play as it welcomes Brown University, New Mexico State University and the University of Rhode Island to Durham for the ninth annual Holly Young Invitational. The Wildcats begin the tourney against Brown on Friday, Sept. 19 (7 p.m.). New Hampshire finishes the event Saturday, Sept. 20 with matches against Rhode Island (12:30 p.m.) and incumbent Western Athletic Conference champion New Mexico State (7 p.m.) for the 14th annual "Pack the Arena Night."
Check out visit UNHWildcats.com or follow the Wildcats via social media on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHWildcats), Twitter (@UNHWildcats), YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNHAthletics) and Instagram (@UNHWildcats) for the latest news and information on all 20 varsity sports. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHVolleyball) or follow the 'Cats on Twitter and Instagram at @UNHVOLLEYBALL.
