Volleyball Opens 2026 Season with 3-2 Win Over New Haven

Friday, August 28

Durham, N.H.

7 PM

University of New Hampshire

1-0,0-0America East

University of New Haven

0-1,0-0NEC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
New Haven	15	18	25	25	8	2
New Hampshire	25	25	21	23	15	3

Photo by: Alex Miller

8/28/2026 10:32:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Jessica Shattles set a career-high in assists with 46 in the win.

DURHAM, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire women's volleyball team fought to a five-set win against the University of New Haven (0-1, 0-0 NEC) on Friday evening (Aug. 28) at Lundholm Gymnasium, winning 3-2. The set scores were 25-15, 25-18, 21-25, 23-25, and 15-8.

HOW IT HAPPENED

SET 1
-The Wildcats got going fast on offense, starting the 2026 season with a 6-1 run, highlighted by a pair of kills from Evelyn Brenton (Glastonbury, Conn.) and a career-first kill from Caitlin Leddy (Hinsdale, Ill.).

-New Hampshire followed up with an 11-5 run that saw Brenton post three kills and Lucy Chertock (Danville, Calif.) tack on another four, giving the 'Cats a 17-6 cushion.

-New Haven and New Hampshire traded scores through the remainder of the set, culminating in a 24-15 score before a block from Brenton and Julianne Lee (Renton, Wash.) drove home the final point for the Wildcats' first set win of the season.

SET 2
-The 'Cats and Chargers traded points to open the second set, with New Hampshire taking a 6-5 edge to open, powered by kills from Leddy and Rachel Grier (Dublin, Calif.).

-New Hampshire found an edge through the middle portion of the set, making a 10-5 run with scores from five 'Cats to make it a 16-10 lead.

-New Haven and New Hampshire continued to battle, trading points in a 7-6 run to bring the set score to 21-16, before the 'Cats closed on a 4-2 run to take set two.

SET 3
-New Haven opened the third set with a 4-1 edge over the 'Cats, powered by a one kill, one block sequence from Hannah Adderly.

-The Wildcats responded by going on a 10-8 run, cutting the set score to within a single point, 12-11.

-New Hampshire took their first lead of the set late, going up 18-17 on a block from Grier and Jessica Shattles (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.).

-New Haven regained the advantage on a late 8-3 run, powered by three kills from Marley Alefaio, to take set three 25-21.

SET 4
-New Haven and New Hampshire traded points through the first 18 rallies, taking a 9-9 deadlock into the middle of the set off kills from five different Wildcats.

-The Chargers and Wildcats continued their duel into the late stages of the set, going on another 9-9 run to make it an 18-18 deadlock. For the 'Cats, Chertock provided a pair of kills while Grier and Olivia Maulding (Canby, Ore.) each notched one.

-New Haven closed out the set on a 7-5 run to take it 25-23 and even the match at two apiece.

SET 5
-New Hampshire opened the final set on a 6-2 run, with Chertock and Emma Converse (San Antonio, Texas) each recording a pair of kills.

-The Wildcats maintained their lead through the rest of the set, going on a 9-6 run to take the final frame 15-8 and the match 3-2.

WILDCAT GAME HIGHS
Kills: Chertock (16)
Assists: Shattles (46)
Digs: Pickard (24)
Points: Chertock (17)
Blocks: Maulding (2.0)
Service Aces: Shattles (2)

TEAM TOTALS
UNH
Attack %: .255
Kills: 62
Blocks: 16
Digs: 55
Points: 109

New Haven
Attack %: .134
Kills: 53
Blocks: 18
Digs: 54
Points: 91

BY THE NUMBERS

-Eight different players earned a kill in the win, including four players who notched 10+ kills (Chertock – 16, Grier – 15, Converse – 11, Brenton – 10).

-Jessica Shattles set a new career-high in assists with 46, while providing 88.5% of the team's total assists in the win.

-Shattles also led the team in service aces, notching a pair.

-Olivia Maulding led the team on defense with 2.0 blocks, while Hady Pickard (Roswell, Ga.) paced the 'Cats with 24 digs in her first-career start.

-Chertock led the team in points, totaling 17, while Grier finished with 16.5 and both Converse and Brenton added 11 apiece.

NEXT UP • HOME VS. ST. PETER'S, SATURDAY, AUG. 29, 2 P.M.
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, Aug. 29, as they take on St. Peter's University (0-1, 0-0 Metro) on the second day of the Holly Young Invitational with a 2pm opening serve at Lundholm Gymnasium.

Making the trip to cheer on the Wildcats? Book your hotel at GoCatsTravel.com — you'll get the same rate as Expedia or Booking.com, and 50% of proceeds goes straight back to UNH Athletics. Choose your team and book.

Follow the UNH Volleyball Team
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/unhvolleyball
X - https://x.com/unhvolleyball