Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
Kingsville, TX - Day one of the Emerald Beach Hotel Javelina Volleyball Tournament hosted by Texas A&M – Kingsville got underway today for the Adelphi University volleyball team. The Panthers dropped both matches on the day, falling 3-1 (15-25, 25-23, 13-25, 20-25) to AVCA nationally ranked #16 West Texas A&M in the opener and 3-0 (22-25, 23-25, 22-25) to Fort Lewis in the nightcap.
In the morning match, the Panthers (0-7) were led by a combined 27 kills from senior
Kaitlyn DeStefano and sophomore
Mandy Stanislovaitis. Meanwhile, sophomore
Sierra Crook picked up 21 digs while junior
Alayna Jackson dished out 29 assists.
The Buffs (3-2) connected on 51 teams kills led by 16 on the part of Lauren Bevan. Meanwhile, Kameryn Hayes and Kyli Schulz shared setting duties with a combined 45 sets.
West Texas A&M controlled the majority of the first set as the Panthers only lead was at 2-1. The Buffs featured four blocks in the set and had three different individuals with three kills on the way to a 25-15 victory.
DeStefano swung for six kills in the second set with Stanislovaitis adding five on the way to a 25-23 victory for the Panthers to pull the match even at one game apiece. As a group, the Brown and Gold improved its hitting in the second game with a team percentage of .317.
The third set was similar to the first for the Buffs as the group accumulated 11 kills compared to only two errors. Meanwhile, the Panthers committed nine errors with just eight kills.
Despite an early fourth set lead for Adelphi, looking to even the match at two games each side, West Texas A&M benefitted from 13 kills to close out the set and match. Bevan led the Buffs with four kills while Stanislovaitis matched her effort for the Panthers in the final game.
In the evening match, Jackson posted a "double-double" for the Brown and Gold with 15 assists and 12 digs. Crook added 24 digs and three service aces while DeStefano contributed seven kills on a .400 hitting percentage.
Fort Lewis (2-4) benefitted from 10 team blocks on the night led by six (one solo, five assisted) by Gabrielle Silva. Stephanie Sonka added 12 kills on the offense on a .333 hitting percentage.
After falling behind 5-0 in the first set, the Panthers rallied on an 8-3 run to grab the lead at 8-7. Following was a back and forth set that resulted in a 25-22 victory for the Skyhawks. Jackson passed out 10 assists in the set with DeStefano scoring four kills on a .571 hitting percentage.
Fort Lewis again controlled an early advantage of 5-0 in the second set. The Panther rally came later this time around when the Brown and Gold tied the game at 12. Adelphi had to make another additional run to even the match at 20 before taking the lead on the next point thanks to service ace from Crook. However, the Skyhawks again prevailed with three kills in their final five points.
The third set was another tight game with both squads making their own runs to take leads and cut into deficits. Fort Lewis was once again able to get the final say with a 25-22 decision to take the match in three sets.
Day two of the Invitational features a similar schedule for the Panthers with 11:30 am and 9:30 pm, Eastern Time, starts. Adelphi faces the host Javelinas in the morning followed by Eastern New Mexico in the evening.
