West Haven, Conn. - The Adelphi University volleyball team concludes the 2018 season tying the program record for wins in a season (27) with an appearance in the NCAA East Region Second Round after suffering a four-set defeat to American International Friday evening.
The trip marks the fifth time in
Danielle MacKnight's tenure that the team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Despite the loss of
Sara Bisbe in the opening set, Adelphi (27-7) stayed the course and fought for a 25-12 decision to take the lead in the match. Eight of the final nine points were awarded to the Panthers with the help of kills from
Victoria Bailey and a service ace courtesy of
Naomi Ruffalo on set point.
The second set saw the Yellow Jackets command an early lead, but not for long as the Brown and Gold staged an 8-2 comeback to push ahead. A timeout proved positive for Adelphi, who trailed by three as they won the next two points by way of kills from
McKenna Clawson and Bailey. AIC reached set point on three occasions but were able to even the match with a Diva Rivas-Reyes strike.
AIC used their momentum to roll into the third set and jump out to an eight-point advantage. Clawson recorded a kill which sparked a four-point run, which kept Adelphi in the game and Steph Milillo notched a service to come within one. A Yellow Jacket miscue made it 23-all but two straight points for the six-seed put them ahead in the contest.
The fourth and ultimately final set played out much like the third as AIC got on a run and nearly doubled the Panther score, but Adelphi rattled off five unanswered to come within four. The teams traded points but the Yellow Jackets reached 25 first to advance to the East Region Championship scheduled for Saturday evening.
The 2018 team closes the season with an overall record of 27-7 with a berth into both the NE10 and NCAA Tournament.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past nine seasons, has collected 28 regular season conference titles, 30 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.
