Springfield, Mass. -- Looking to extend its winning streak to 10 straight, the Adelphi University volleyball team withstood a game effort from the American International Yellow Jackets, dropping the first and fourth sets but rallying to win 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-21, 20-25, 15-12) in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers were paced once again by Mandy Stanislovaitis, who recorded 18 kills as she and Natalija Dordevic, the NE-10's top two in kills per set, went head to head in the contest. Shelby Stoner also tallied double digits, hammering home 10 kills, while Megan Manierski piloted the offense with 45 assists. The Panther defensive effort was anchored in the front row by Madison Canestrari, who was a part of 10 blocks (3S, 7A) and in the back row by Sierra Crook, who tallied 36 digs to lead the four Brown and Gold players in double figures. Dordevic paced five Yellow Jackets in two-figure kills, recording 14 in the setback. 

The Yellow Jackets led for nearly the entirety of the opening set from the first point before the Panthers ran off six straight points to turn a 15-11 deficit to an 17-15 lead on a Stoner kill. After the home team rallied to tie, the Panthers held a slim one-point lead twice more but the home team claimed the set, 25-22, on a Lauren Pires kill.

A quick start for the Panthers in set two gave them a 7-3 lead, as Canestrari and McKenna Clawson blocked back a Dordevic offering to force a Yellow Jacket timeout. The Brown and Gold held that lead for much of the set, until the Yellow Jackets rallied to tie three times before taking a 20-18 lead of their own on a Diva Rivas kill. The Panthers were not done yet, however, and claimed seven of the final eight points to turn things around -- helped by four Yellow Jacket miscues -- to take the set 25-22 and even the match.

Faced with an early deficit in set three, the Panthers chipped away before embarking on a 6-0 mid-set stretch that gave them some breathing room at 18-10. The Yellow Jackets continued to battle, however, pulling to within three points at 21-18. They would get no closer, and a Clawson hammer capped the 25-20 set for the visitors to give Adelphi a 2-1 lead. Undaunted, the home team sprinted out to a 7-1 lead to open the fourth, eventually expanding the lead to 14-4 on an Annie Boele kill. The Yellow Jackets reached set point at 24-14, and although the Panthers claimed the next five points, the deficit loomed too large and the match went to a decider.

In the fifth, Adelphi never trailed en route to the final set victory, with the match punctuated by an Amanda Borges kill off the bench to give Adelphi the win. 

The Panthers will return to action on Tuesday, October 20 when they host Southern Connecticut State in a 7 pm NE-10 contest. 

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About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the Fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 12 regular season conference titles, 18 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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