Garden City, N.Y. - Coming off a five-set victory Friday evening, the Adelphi University volleyball team added to their win streak with a sweep of St. Michael's College Saturday afternoon in the Center for Recreation and Sport.
The Panther attack was led by
Amalia Saleh and
Cara McKenzie, as each chipped in seven kills and both hit up over .500 while
Grace Wegmann and
Courtney Crook split setting duties, accounting for 15 and 14 assists, respectively.
On defense for the Brown and Gold (20-5, 9-2 NE10),
Naomi Ruffalo collected a team-high 10 digs, as the front line held a 7-2 advantage in blocks.
Adelphi wasted no time jumping out to a 9-4 lead in the opening set, in a run that included two big stops at the net. The home team maintained a lead, however the Purple Knights managed to come within two at 13-11 courtesy of several Panther miscues. A kill from
Sara Bisbe sparked an eight-point run that left the Purple Knights trailing by 10, a deficit it was unable to overcome as the hosts secured a 25-15 decision.
Saint Michael's (0-16, 0-11 NE10) briefly held an advantage in the early going of the second, but going against Adelphi's best attack game of the afternoon, they eventually fell to 0-2 in the match. The Panther offense used 11 kills and a .280 hitting percentage as well as four services aces at the line to take the set, 25-18.
Much like the first, the Panthers' momentum quickly built in the third and ultimately final set, eventually building a 6-2 edge however, the Purple Knights battled back, eventually knotting the action at 6-6. A kill from St. Mike's Tanner Barton, who also posted a team-high seven kills, gave the visitors an 11-10 lead, but a three-point stretch from Adelphi put them back in the driver's seat for the remainder of the match.
A five-point run bookended with a kill from Saleh and
McKenna Clawson put the visitors back six, and despite four unanswered from St. Michael's, the Panthers scored five of the last six points to win their second consecutive game.
Adelphi will trip across town for a non-league tilt at New York Institute Technology on Tuesday, October 23. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Recreation Hall.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past nine seasons, has collected 27 regular season conference titles, 29 tournament championships, 41 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
For the latest on Adelphi University Athletics, follow the Panthers at www.aupanthers.com or via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.
