Adelphi University Athletics

Garden City, N.Y. - For the second time in three days, the Adelphi University volleyball team completed a three-set sweep, defeating St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday. 

Series History:

• Adelphi (8-6) moves to 3-0 all time against the Spartans (3-7). This marks the second consecutive season that the teams have met, with the initial matchup taking place in the 2002 season. 

Highlights: 

• Madeleine Chaapel led the Panthers offensively with 15 kills while hitting .321, adding two blocks and a service ace.
• Elena Covic delivered an efficient performance, recording 10 kills on 18 attacks while hitting .500 for the match
• Ana Carolina Westerich orchestrated the offense with 29 assists and added three service aces and eight digs in the victory.
• Mackenzie Casey anchored the Panthers' blocking effort with five total blocks, while Ada Isik led Adelphi defensively with 11 digs. The Panthers also held advantages in service aces (10-2), blocks (6-0) and digs (36-26).

How It Happened: 

• The visiting team struggled to get any momentum in the early going as the Panthers jumped out to a 9-1 start. The home team was able to take advantage of several miscues from the Spartan side to continue to increase their margin, capping a 9-4 run which made it 18-7. 
• A pair of kills from STAC saw some life from the other side, but kills from Chaapel, Casey and Covic - alongside a block from the latter duo - closed out the set at 25-10. 
• The Cats hit .545 as a team in the opener, committing just one error and ultimately finished with a season-high .402 hitting percentage for the contest.
• Much like the first, Adelphi pushed ahead to an 11-3 start in the second. After a string of points went back-and-forth, it was a trio of freshmen who each recorded a kill to close out the frame. 
• Not going away without a fight, the Spartans came as close as three before the home team had match point. STAC capitalized on three straight errors from the Panthers to come within two, but ultimately Chaapel had the game-winning kill. 

Up Next: 

• Head coach Danielle MacKnight and the squad will travel to take on reinging East Coast Conference Champion Mercy University on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Opening serve is set for 6:00 p.m.