West Haven, Conn. - In thrilling fashion, the Adelphi University women's volleyball team recorded a win against the University of New Haven Chargers for the first time since 2007 on Friday night, knocking off the top seeds in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. Down 2-1 in the match, the Panthers rallied to claim the fourth and fifth sets, including saving match points in the fourth, to come away with the 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 28-26, 15-12) win. The Panthers advance to their third NE-10 Championship match in program history, after finishing runner-up in 2009 and taking the crown in 2011. 

Adelphi (15-14) had four players post double digits in kills, while two recorded double-doubles. Kaitlyn DeStefano led all players with 15 kills and six total blocks, while classmate Haley Blunt put down 13 balls and dug up 20. Sophomore Mandy Stanislovaitis matched Blunt's 13 kills while posting 17 digs of her own, while Shelby Stoner rounded out the quartet with 13 kills. Megan Manierski put in the performance of her freshman season, and kept the offense running smoothly with 50 assists while adding four kills and two service aces. Finally, Sierra Crook led the defensive effort with 27 digs, just two off of her career high. 

New Haven (21-7) had three players post double figures in kills, as Kristy Atufunwa led all players with 16 finishers, and seven total blocks.

The Panthers and Chargers went point-for-point in the first set that featured eight ties. The Panthers led just twice in the close set, at 8-7 and 9-8, but never let the Chargers take a lead of more than three for the majority of the set. The Panthers rallied to tie the action at 17-17 when DeStefano and Manierski blocked back a Kristen Lee offering, but the Chargers recorded kills on three of their next four points to take a 21-18 and force Adelphi to use a timeout. The Chargers took their biggest lead of the set behind a Blunt error at 24-20, before two Panther points forced the Chargers to talk things over themselves. Out of the huddle, Margo Meteyer put down the final ball to give the first set to New Haven, 25-22. 

The Panthers found themselves trailing in the early going in set number two, as consecutive miscues put them in a 10-6 hole. The Panthers took three straight points from there, as DeStefano hammered home two kills and Blunt recorded an ace, to stay close, before taking their first lead behind back-to-back Blunt kills at 15-14. The visitors continued to keep their noses in front for the duration, eventually taking their biggest lead of the day at 23-18 on a Stoner kill. New Haven would not go quietly however, taking five of the next six points to have the serve at 23-24, but Stoner and Samantha Breidenbach blocked back a Meghan Kennelly attempt to secure the second set and knot the match at 1-1. 

The third set again featured even scoring before Adelphi ripped off four straight points, again ending with back-to-back Blunt kills, to take a 12-9 lead. The Panthers continued to hold that advantage, and when Manierski ace brought the score to 19-14, the Blue and Gold were forced to take a timeout. From there, momentum switched firmly to the hosts, and six straight points turned a 21-18 Adelphi lead into a 23-21 New Haven advantage. The Panthers were unable to quell the hosts' comeback, and a Lee kill gave the third set to New Haven, 25-22. 

As was the case all night, neither side was able to claim an overwhelming advantage in the fourth set, but the Chargers put together a late 17-15 lead behind consecutive kills from Kaulana Ane and Meteyer. The Panthers battled back, and although another Meteyer finisher put the hosts up 18-17, four straight Panther points put the Brown and Gold up 21-18 as the squad looked to force a decider. From that point, the Chargers claimed six of the next seven points behind three kills and three Panther miscues to put themselves on the brink of victory at 24-22, and send Adelphi home from the NE-10 tournament for the third year in a row. 

The Panthers were not ready to head back to Garden City just yet, and Stoner had a hand in saving both of New Haven's match points at that stage. The junior hammered home a kill on the first, before again combining with Breidenbach to block back a Lee offering and knot the action at 24-24. Atufunwa slammed down a kill to give the Chargers their third match point, but Stoner again was up to the challenge and matched her opposite number with another kill and even things at 25-25. In a redux of the previous point, Atufunwa again found the floor to give the Chargers a fourth chance to close things out, but this time it was Blunt who hammered home a kill to knot things at 26-26. The Panthers finally seized the momentum, and it was DeStefano who carried the Panthers into the fifth. The senior tallied another kill to give the Panthers their first set point, which they duly converted on as she and Manierski denied a Meteyer offering.

Adelphi found themselves trailing from the outset of the final set, and although DeStefano and Blunt tallied back-to-back kills to pull within one at 6-5, the Brown and Gold trailed 8-5 at the bench switch and called a timeout to talk things over. Out of the timeout, the Chargers continued to hold the lead as late at 9-7, but the Panthers had one more comeback in them.

Stanslovaitis slammed down consecutive kills to draw the Panthers level, and a Stoner kill gave the visitors their first lead of the final frame. Two Charger miscues out of their own time out saw the Brown and Gold lead increase to 12-9, and Adelphi never trailed again. Although New Haven pulled within one at 12-11, a Blunt kill and yet another block from Stoner and Breidenbach brought the Panthers to match point. An Atufunwa kill momentarily delayed them, but the Panthers wrapped up the victory behind the right arm of Stoner to move into the NE-10 Championship.

The Panthers, seeded #4, will face the #3 seeds, the Falcons of Bentley University in tomorrow's championship. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m.