University of New Hampshire Athletics
University of New Hampshire
16-11, 9-1AE
University of Massachusetts Lowell
2-25, 0-10AE
Volleyball Wins Seventh Consecutive Match, Sweeps UMass Lowell
11/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LOWELL, Mass. -- The University of New Hampshire volleyball extended its season-long winning streak to seven matches with a three-set victory over the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday night at the Costello Athletic Center.
The Wildcats improve their record to 16-11 overall and 9-1 in conference play. The River Hawks slip to 2-25, 0-10.
UNH's seventh sweep of the season came by set scores of 25-9, 25-16 and 25-19. The win by first-place New Hampshire paired by a loss from second-place Binghamton University give the Wildcats at least a share of the America East regular season title with two games remaining in league play.
Senior middle blocker Delaney Dameron (Alpharetta, Ga.) matched her career-high with 12 kills on the strength of a .800 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) tallied nine kills and seven digs. Senior setter Taylor Dunklau (Mukwonago, Wis.) orchestrated the offense to hit .289 with 34 assists. Junior defensive specialist Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) anchored the defensive, scooping up 17 digs. Classmate Brenna Buckwalter (Evergreen, Colo.) eclipsed double-digit digs with 11.
New Hampshire showcased its offense in the opening stanza, registering a .520 hitting percentage. The Wildcats landed 13 kills on 25 attacks with zero errors. UNH shot out to a 13-4 lead in set one. After an UMass Lowell timeout, the two sides traded blows as the score rose to 16-8. The Wildcats capped off the first set on a 9-1 run to capture a 1-0 match lead.
UNH began the second frame with a 4-2 edge, but fell behind 7-5 by a 5-1 surge from UML. The Wildcats battled back to even the stanza at the nine, 10 and 11 marks. New Hampshire followed up by engineering an eight-point run to lead 19-11 late in the set. The River Hawks narrowed the Wildcats' advantage down to six at 20-14, attempting to rally. However, New Hampshire quelled the late-set comeback and seized five of the last seven points in the set to take a 2-0 lead into the third game.
Neither team budged in the early goings of the decisive frame as the teams reached an early 5-5 tie. UMass Lowell broke ahead after a 4-0 run to force UNH to call timeout. Coming out of the huddle, New Hampshire erased the four-point deficit and knotted the stanza at 12-12 and 13-13. A River Hawk attack error followed by back-to-back kills from Dameron gave UNH a 16-13 edge as UMass Lowell opted to huddle. Not phased by the timeout, the 'Cats resumed their run, tacking on four more points to lead 20-13 and targeting the straight-set win. The River Hawks stormed back, constructing a 6-3 run to pull within three points at 22-19. New Hampshire halted the surge as sophomore outside hitter Maggie Kenney (Merrimack, N.H.) and Buckwalter provided the offensive firepower to clinch the third stanza and the straight-set victory for the Wildcats.
New Hampshire wraps up the 2014 regular season with a pair of America East matches in Lundholm Gymnasium. UNH welcomes Stony Brook University on Thursday, Nov. 13 (7 p.m.). The Wildcats then face the University of Hartford on Friday, Nov. 14 (7 p.m) for Senior Day.
