Volleyball Swept by UAlbany on Senior Day, Forrest Reaches 1,000-Dig Milestone

Sunday, November 1

Durham, N.H.

1 PM

University of New Hampshire

16-8, 8-1AE

University at Albany

13-8, 8-1AE

UAlbany

New Hampshire

Photo by: Paige O'Donnell

Volleyball Swept by UAlbany on Senior Day, Forrest Reaches 1,000-Dig Milestone

11/1/2015 4:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire volleyball team's 10-match winning streak was snapped, falling to the University at Albany in straight sets Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gymnasium on Senior Day.

UNH suffers its first America East loss of the season and falls to 16-8 overall and 8-1 in conference play. UAlbany posts its seventh consecutive win to improve to 13-8 overall and 8-1 in league contests. The Wildcats and Great Danes are tied atop the conference standings with three matches remaining in the regular season. New Hampshire won 19-straight contests against America East opponents entering the match. The streak began Oct. 12, 2014, when UNH swept the University of Maryland Baltimore County on the road.

Before the start of the match, six seniors were honored on the court in a pregame ceremony. Abby Brinkman (Brecksville, Ohio), Brenna Buckwalter (Evergreen, Colo.) Cassidy Croci (Sylvania, Ohio), Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.), Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.) and Maggie Kenney (Merrimack, N.H.) were recognized for their dedication to the UNH volleyball program.

Forrest tallied her 1,000^th career dig in the second set, becoming the 10^th player in UNH volleyball history to accomplish the feat. She is just the third player in program history to register quadruple digits in digs and kills. The outside hitter reached the 1,000-kill milestone earlier this season on Sept. 4 in a four-set win against Marshall University at the Fairfield Invitational.

Three Wildcats earned double-doubles in the setback. Junior middle blocker Demi Muses (Orangevale, Calif.) chalked up 11 kills and a career-high 19 digs. Forrest registered 10 kills and 17 digs. Junior setter Keelin Severtson (Delray Beach, Fla.) tallied 38 assists and 10 digs. Brinkman slammed a team-high 12 terminations to lead the offense. Lightfoot patrolled the backcourt and shoveled out 10 attacks.

Juniors Laini Leindecker and Mikala McCauley each posted double-double efforts to highlight the Great Danes. Leindecker recorded a match-high 19 kills and 15 digs while McCauley notched 43 helpers and 15 digs. Rookie libero Nicole Otero anchored UAlbany's defense with 24 digs. Junior outside hitter Shannon Hurley pitched in 15 kills on the strength of a .452 hitting percentage to bolster the offense.

The Wildcats and Great Danes flexed their offensive muscle in opening frame. UAlbany engineered a .435 hitting percentage while New Hampshire rolled out a .357 clip. The Great Danes bolted out of the gate, landing eight kills to jump out to a 9-5 lead. Despite two timeouts by UNH, UAlbany's attack continued to click on all cylinders as the home team looked up at a 16-7 deficit. The 'Cats were able to narrow the deficit at five as Brinkman, Forrest and Muses all hammered kills. However, the Great Danes' advantage was too much to overcome as the visitors punctuated the set with back-to-back kills from Leindecker.

New Hampshire put together a 10-6 start to begin set two, highlighted by service aces from sophomore outside hitter Courtney Bowman (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and Severtson. The Great Danes battled back and knotted the score at 12-12 as the visitors generated a 6-2 surge. The two sides traded leads as the score was tangled at the 16 mark. A Muses kill coupled by a Great Dane hitting error gave the the Wildcats an 18-16 lead late in the set. New Hampshire padded its lead after a UAlbany timeout as Muses and Kenney teamed up for a kill followed by a kill from the junior middle blocker. After a second timeout, the Great Danes retaliated with five straight points to take a 21-20 lead, forcing the blue and white to burn a timeout. The two sides exchanged blows as the score was knotted at 23 apiece. UAlbany swiped the last two points of the second stanza on a kill and a combo block to take a 2-0 lead into intermission.

UNH would not fade away quietly in the decisive set, featuring 11 tie scored and three lead changes. Neither side could establish a lead greater than two as the score was tied at 13-13. The Great Danes carved out a two-point edge, registering back-to-back kills to take a 15-13 lead. Despite a New Hampshire timeout, UAlbany continued to add onto its lead, forcing the home squad to use its second timeout and facing a 19-15 deficit. The second breather proved to be beneficial as the blue and white stormed back with a 4-1 run tie the frame at the 20 mark. The two sides slugged out kills as the score increased to 22-22. UAlbany turned to Leindecker and Hurley to close out the match as the duo combined for three kills to hand the 'Cats the loss.

New Hampshire looks to bounce back on the road, visiting the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday, Nov. 6 (7 p.m.). The Wildcats close out conference play with contests at Stony Brook University (Nov. 13; 5 p.m.) and UMBC (Nov. 15; 1 p.m.).

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