Springfield, Mass. - In a fifth set that nearly went to 25, the Adelphi University volleyball team concluded its season with a five-set loss to Southern New Hampshire University in the NCAA Division II East Region final on Saturday, to cap a historical 2022 campaign.
This was the first time either team made it to the East Region Final, but a 21-19 fifth set decision in favor of the Penmen (19-7) punches their ticket to the Elite Eight, hosted in Seattle, Washington as part of the Division II Festival.
For their efforts,
Samantha Collins,
Lilyen McCarthy,
Brenna Valsted and
Jamie Yonker were named to the East Region All-Tournament team.
The Panthers put together a .308 team hitting percentage in the opening set with 17 kills, five of which came from the hand of
Lilyen McCarthy. After jumping out to a 6-2 lead, Adelphi registered five straight kills to extend its advantage to seven. The Penmen were held to able to chip away at the deficit, but a service error on set point led to the Panthers moving to 1-0 in the match.
Opening up the second frame, the Penmen worked their way out to a two-point edge, and later extended the advantage to four after tallying as many consecutive kills. Adelphi managed to bring it back to 22-all, but SNHU notched three of the next four, including a set-clinching kill from Alice Arletti that evened the match.
Up by two, Adelphi struggled to earn the sideout as SNHU put together a seven-point scoring run to lead 14-9 in the third set. From then on, the Penmen kept putting together scoring runs until Macknight called her second timeout. Out of the break, McQueen smashed a ball into the block, still trailing by five. It was another McQueen kill coupled with a solo block from
Samantha Collins that forced Penmen Head Coach Dega De Gama to call a timeout as the Panthers got within four. It was all Southern down the stretch as they closed out a 25-22 decision, despite efforts from Adelphi.
The fourth stanza was highlighted by a negative hitting percentage from Southern New Hampshire, as Adelphi was able to rattle off 15 kills and put up three of 14 total blocks for the contest. It was the Panthers who were able to hold on to a four-point lead despite letting it slip away to see the Penmen encroaching on the upper hand at 19-18. Two miscues from the SNHU attack led to the Brown and Gold earning six of the final eight points to force a fifth set - the third five-set match they would play in as many days.
SNHU seized a 4-1 lead to start which they extended to 6-3, but Adelphi came back with an 8-2 run that flipped it into the lead at 11-8. McCarthy and Mcqueen put together a stop that forced the switch of sides and swung momentum in the five-seeds' favor. The Penmen would not go away, however, scoring four straight to go back on top, 12-11. Seven ties ensued, with Adelphi eventually going up, 19-18. With multiple chances, the Panthers could not close the door, making way for three straight points to SNHU, which earned the program's first ever East Region crown.
Adelphi concludes the season at 23-11 overall with a return to the Northeast-10 Conference finals and a first-ever appearance in the East Region Championship game.
