University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
9-10, 2-0AE
Binghamton University
3-14, 1-1AE
Lightfoot Joins 1,000 Dig Club, Volleyball Trumps Binghamton in Five Sets
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DURHAM, N.H. -- Junior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) of the University of New Hampshire volleyball team surpassed the 1,000 dig plateau as part of a five-set victory against Binghamton University at Lundholm Gymnasium on Friday night.
The set scores were 24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21 and 15-7 in the America East contest.
UNH wins its third consecutive match and improves to 9-10 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Binghamton drops to 3-14, 1-1.
Lightfoot reached the milestone in the fourth set, finishing the match with 22 digs. The junior is the ninth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 digs and holds 1,002 in her career.
Brenna Buckwalter (Evergreen, Colo.), Taylor Dunklau (Mukwonago, Wis.) and Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) all posted double-doubles in the victory. Buckwalter set new career-highs in kills (21) and digs (15) while posting a .436 attack percentage. Dunklau quarterbacked the offense with 49 assists and 14 digs while Forrest tallied 16 digs and 10 kills. Junior middle blocker Cassidy Croci (Sylvania, Ohio) eclipsed double digit kills with 10 and added five blocks.
After New Hampshire took the opening point, the Bearcats owned an 8-6 advantage early. The Wildcats retaliated with an 8-2 run to lead 16-10. UNH padded its lead to 20-12 entering the late portion of the stanza. Binghamton rallied with an eight-point surge to even the match at the 20 mark, forcing New Hampshire to take a timeout. The Wildcats shortly regained control of the frame and led 24-21 in the set. However, the Bearcats rattled off five consecutive points to steal the first frame away from the 'Cats.
New Hampshire bolted out of the gate in the second set with an 8-4 run. The Wildcats were able to add some insurance, holding a 13-7 advantage. Binghamton battled back with three straight points, but UNH responded with a 5-1 run to lead 19-11. The Bearcats tried another late-frame rally by stringing together four consecutive points. New Hampshire staved off the comeback and evened the match at 1-1 entering intermission, capped off by a block from Croci and Buckwalter.
The third frame saw back-and-forth and even play out of the chute. Knotted at 16 apiece, the Bearcats registered three straight points as UNH opted for a breather. The Wildcats could not cut into the deficit as the home team burned another timeout, trailing 22-18 in the set. Despite a late kill from Buckwalter, Binghamton captured the third stanza.
The fourth set featured 14 tied scores and four lead changes. Knotted at 6-6, New Hampshire sparked ahead to lead 11-6, forcing Binghamton to huddle. The Bearcats clawed back with a pair of rallies and evened the set at the 19 mark. However, UNH concluded the stanza with a 6-2 run to extend the match to a fifth set.
The Wildcats continued their momentum with four consecutive points to begin the decisive set. UNH preserved its four-point cushion as the team traded sides at the 8-4 mark. New Hampshire tacked on two more points to lead 10-4 as Binghamton called for a timeout. Each side continued trade points as the score rose to 14-7 in favor of the home team. Forrest capped off the match with a kill to give the Wildcats the five-set victory.
New Hampshire is back in action at Lundholm Gymnasium on Sunday, Oct. 5 (1 p.m.) against the University at Albany for its annual dig pink game.
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