Bridgeport, Conn. - The Adelphi University volleyball team took the long way to a fifth straight win in the last nine days on Monday night at the University of Bridgeport. After winning the first two sets, the Panthers dropped the next two, but rallied in the fifth to drop the Purple Knights in five sets.
Something had to give for the two clubs, which both entered Monday's tilt on an unbeaten streak. Adelphi came in the contest on the back of four straight wins against East Region teams, including a sweep of UB's CACC conference opponents Chestnut Hill and Jefferson on Saturday, while Bridgeport had won its last six matches.
But thanks to a career nights from
Noelle Alberda and
Brenna Valsted, the Panthers (9-4) stayed perfect against regional opposition so far this year.
Alberda hammered home a career-high 19 kills on a .375 hitting percentage, while Valsted steered the offense with a lifetime-best 50 assists. The graduate setter also tallied 19 digs, one of four Panthers to record at least 10, for her second double-double in as many matches.
Also helping Adelphi's cause on the offensive side of the ball in the thriller was
Lilyen McCarthy, who notched double-digit kills for the fourth time this year with a season-high 15, and
Macarty McQueen, who joined Valsted with a double-double thanks to 13 kills and 11 digs. Defensively,
Jamie Yonker and
Jaydin Nowak combined for 39 digs, as Adelphi racked up 83 as a club.
Bridgeport (10-3) got a match-high 23 kills from freshman Hailey Jessen, who also added six digs, and a double-double (10 kills, 20 digs) from classmate Grace Presswood.
From 10-10 in set one and 2-2 in set two, Adelphi kept its leads to build a 2-0 cushion on the scoreboard, but a sparkling offensive performance by the home team helped push the match to a fifth and final frame. Bridgeport hit a staggering .536 in the third set, and .417 in the fourth to knot the action from 2-0, but the Purple Knights cooled off significantly in the most crucial moments down the stretch.
Though Adelphi hit even in the first-to-15 set with five kills and five errors, Bridgeport hit twice its errors to kills (8 to 4) to help the Panthers over the line. Four of those attack miscues, and a service error, came in the set's final six points.
Adelphi's tour through the CACC continues on Thursday, when it returns home to face Caldwell University at 7 p.m. inside the Center for Recreation and Sports.
About Adelphi Athletics
A regionally- and nationally-competitive NCAA Division II institution located in Garden City, N.Y., Adelphi University has been a proud member of the Northeast-10 Conference since 2009.
Winners of 17 NCAA Division II National Championships and four NE10 Presidents' Cups, Adelphi student-athletes have excelled at the conference, regional and national level, both on the field of play and in the classroom. In turn, the Adelphi University Department of Athletics is committed to fostering an environment of diversity, inclusion, equity and success, where its student-athletes can thrive both on campus and off.
Stay connected with Adelphi Athletics by following the Panthers at
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our licensed team store.
