University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
17-11, 10-1AE
Stony Brook University
17-12, 7-4AE
Volleyball Wins America East Regular Season Title Outright; Sweeps Stony Brook; Dunklau Surpasses 3,000 Career Assists
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire volleyball team claimed its second consecutive America East regular season title, defeating Stony Brook University in three sets Thursday night at Lundholm Gymnasium. The eighth sweep of the season came by set scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 25-20.
For the second straight season, UNH clinches the top-seed and will serve as the host institution for the America East Championships (Nov. 21-22).
New Hampshire extends its season-long unbeaten streak to eight matches, improving its record to 17-11 overall and 10-1 in America East. Stony Brook saw its five-match winning streak end, falling to 17-12, 7-4.
Senior setter Taylor Dunklau (Mukwonago, Wis.) tallied her 3,000th career assist in the first set, becoming just the third player in UNH volleyball history to accomplish the feat. Dunklau registered 33 assists to command the New Hampshire offense while chipping in six digs.
Junior outside hitter Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Demi Muses (Orangevale, Calif.) added eight kills and eight digs. Junior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) anchored the backline, notching 11 digs. Forrest and Muses each tallied two service aces.
The first set provided a lot of back-and-forth action to start as UNH held a slight 10-8 advantage. The Wildcats took control of the set, engineering a 6-1 run to lead 17-9. New Hampshire maintained a minimum six-point cushion for the remainder of the frame to capture the opening stanza.
Set two featured 10 tied scores and five lead changes as Stony Brook landed the first two points, but New Hampshire jumped ahead 6-4 in the early goings. Coming out of a SBU timeout, the Seawolves battled back to knot the score at the seven and eight marks. The Wildcats jetted ahead again, carving out a three-point lead at 11-8. However, Stony Brook swiftly erased the deficit with a trio of points to level the score at 11 apiece.
The two teams continued to exchange blows as the score rose to 16-16. SBU registered two kills to shortly hold an 18-16 edge. However, a four-point surge powered by three UNH kills gave the home team a 20-18 late in the set. The Seawolves and Wildcats both suffered hitting errors as the score increased to 24-24. UNH capitalized on a SBU miscue, followed by a Cassidy Croci (Sylvania, Ohio) kill to give the Wildcats the second set, 26-24, taking a 2-0 lead into intermission.
Stony Brook and New Hampshire exchanged the first 14 points to begin the elimination stanza. The Wildcats propelled ahead with three consecutive points as part of an 8-4 run to lead 15-11. SBU cut UNH's lead in half with back-to-back kills. However, the 'Cats quelled the rally and rebuilt their lead, owning a 22-17 advantage late in the set. New Hampshire punctuated the match with kills from juniors Abby Brinkman (Brecksville, Ohio) and Brenna Buckwalter (Evergreen, Colo.) to clinch its eighth consecutive win and second straight regular season league crown.
UNH concludes the regular season Friday, Nov. 14 (7 p.m.), hosting the University of Hartford for Senior Day. The Wildcats will honor senior middle blocker Delaney Dameron (Alpharetta, Georgia), defensive specialist and co-captain Katie Sattora (Avon, N.Y.) and Dunklau before the match.
Please 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.
