Garden City, N.Y. - With just three errors through four sets,
Cara McKenzie polished off a career-high in kills to help Adelphi volleyball to a victory over Stonehill College Friday evening.
McKenzie totaled 16 kills to lead the Panthers (24-5, 11-2 NE10) ahead of
McKenna Clawson who chipped in 14 and
Sara Bisbe, who was responsible for 10.
Grace Wegmann put up impressive numbers through four, finishing with 46 assists as
Katarina Warburton padded her career total with 24 more digs. The Skyhawks (10-11, 6-7 NE10) were led by Allyson Hughes, who accounted for a team-best 15 kills.
The Brown and Gold had to overcome an early deficit in the opening set, but with the help of a kill from
Sara Mandreja and two straight strikes from McKenzie, the home team was back ahead by one. Adelphi rattled off four straight to force a visitor timeout, and despite earning the sideout, Stonehill gave up the next five points to trail in the match.
The Skyhawks edged the hosts in the second set, taking a 25-23 victory with the help of a .265 hitting percentage. Their defense held the Panthers to 12 kills, but they committed almost double-figure errors along the way. Adelphi had a chance down the stretch, using a Stonehill miscue to even the set at 22-22, but three kills from the visitors closed the door and put the match at one-all.
In their best set of the night, Adelphi used a .265 hitting percentage, courtesy of 11 kills and just two attack errors to get back on track as they put up a 25-13 decision. The fourth used extra points to seal the deal, as both teams held set point once, before the hosts ultimately closed the door for on their sixth consecutive win. The Panthers suffered their largest deficit of the evening when they trailed by seven but several errant plays coupled with back-to-back service aces from
Stephanie Milillo brought them within one.
The teams traded points and were tied five times following 21-21, but defense proved supreme as blocks from Bisbe and Canestrari handed the victory to the Panthers.
The Panthers will host their regular season finale on Saturday, at 1:00 p.m. as they face off against Bentley University. Prior to the conference meeting, the program will honor the accomplishments of four seniors in
Madison Canestrari, Clawson,
Amalia Saleh and
Rebecca Seeba.
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.
