Garden City, N.Y. — The Adelphi University women's volleyball team earned a four-set victory over Assumption on Saturday afternoon at the Center for Recreation and Sport, bouncing back from a narrow opening-set loss to claim a 3-1 win.
Prior to the victory, the program celebrated the three members of its graduating class in
Ana Carolina Westerich,
Madeleine Chaapel and
Katie Brokes.
Series History:
- Adelphi is 18-3 all time against the Greyhounds, dating back to the 2002 season.
- The Panthers have never lost to Assumption on their home court and are currently in a five game win streak.
Highlights:
- Morgan Meyer paced all players with 19 kills on 23 attempts with zero errors, finishing with a .826 hitting percentage. This ties a Northeast 10 Conference record set by AIC's Carissa Michel in the Panthers mid-week matchup.
- Mackenzie Casey contributed 10 kills on 16 attempts without an error, good for a .625 hitting percentage, and added three total blocks.
- Madeleine Chaapel recorded 12 kills, while Melana Bigelow chipped in 11 kills and 10 digs.
- Ana Carolina Westerich directed the offense with 26 assists, while Isabella Assaley added 16 assists.
- Ada Isik led the defensive effort with 21 digs, as Adelphi finished with 53 digs and 10 total team blocks.
How It Happened:
- Assumption grabbed the opening set, but Adelphi made a late push after falling behind by a sizable margin. Trailing 19-10, the Panthers began to chip away with kills from Chaapel, Meyer and Casey. Casey helped fuel the rally with a series of kills, and Isik followed with a service ace to bring Adelphi even at 23-23. Assumption answered with the final two points, however, taking the first set, 25-23.
- The Panthers responded in the second set by establishing control early. After the teams traded points through the opening stretch, Adelphi used a run fueled by Reese Brunken's service turn to build separation. Casey and Bigelow provided kills, while Assaley contributed at the net as the Panthers extended their advantage. Adelphi maintained its lead down the stretch, with Chaapel delivering the set-clinching kill in a 25-18 win.
- Adelphi carried that momentum into the third set, opening with a 2-0 lead behind a Chaapel kill and a Westerich service ace. The Panthers continued to build their advantage, with Isik adding a service ace during a run that helped push the margin to 8-5. Meyer, Chaapel and Maya Meyers helped keep the offense rolling, and Adelphi limited Assumption to just four kills in the frame. The Panthers closed out the set, 25-11, after taking control early.
- The fourth set proved to be the closest of the afternoon. Adelphi opened with an early advantage, but Assumption responded with a run to take an 13-8 lead. The Panthers worked their way back behind the attacking efforts of Meyer and Bigelow, eventually tying the score at 20-20. Bigelow's kill made it 21-21, and a Westerich service ace put Adelphi ahead, 22-21. After Assumption pulled even, Casey delivered a key kill to tie the set at 23-23, and the Panthers secured the final two points to close out the match, 25-23.
Up Next:
- Head Coach Danielle MacKnight and her squad secure the no.3 seed in the upcoming Northeast 10 Conference Tournament.
