UAlbany Volleyball Rallies to Defeat Yale, 3-2, on First Day of Tournament

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Senior middle blocker Kamisha Kellam recorded 14 kills and seven total blocks to lead UAlbany to a 3-2 comeback win over Yale on the first day of the UAlbany Invitational on Friday evening at University Gymnasium. The Great Danes defeated the Bulldogs by scores of 22-25, 19-25, 25-13, 25-14 and 15-6.

After a back-and-forth first set in which neither team led by more than two points until the final score, Yale silenced the UAlbany attack in the second, taking a quick 3-0 lead. Yale built up an eight point lead, 22-14, behind the service game of senior setter Ally Mendenhall, who recorded a double-double with 39 assists and 15 digs for the match. Mendenhall assisted Bridget Hearst for the set point to give Yale the 2-0 advantage heading into the break.

Heading back from the locker room, UAlbany jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead, as sophomore outside hitter Valerie Sourbeer served for six straight points. After a Cat Dailey kill ended the Great Danes’ run, UAlbany got the ball back after a service error by Yale. UAlbany’s Hillary White served for four straight points to put the Great Danes up, 13-2. Kellam recorded two of her solo blocks in succession to give UAlbany a 16-4 advantage to stifle any momentum the Bulldogs attempted to use. Junior outside hitter Julia Mailander recorded a kill off an assist from Mendenhall to take over the service game for Yale, but Kellam slammed the final kill to seal the win for UAlbany.

The Great Danes carried the momentum into the fourth set. After a back-and-forth start which saw the teams tied at 9-9, Sourbeer again took over serving, recording four straight points to put UAlbany up, 14-9. The Great Danes continued to build their lead, taking advantage of several attack errors by Yale, and using back-to-back kills by sophomore outside hitter Amanda Cowdrey and junior outside hitter Cate Eckhardt to build a 20-12 lead. A kill by Kellam put the ball back in UAlbany’s hands, and freshman libero Laurie Gonzalez served for the set’s final four points, ending with a service ace to the back line.

The Great Danes came out firing once again in the final set, getting ahead 8-4 on a Kellam kill off an overpass. After the teams switched sides, UAlbany continued to build its advantage, and Gonzalez took the ball for the final four serves of the set once again. The Great Danes received three of their final four points on Yale attack errors, before Gonzalez put the match away with her third service ace of the night.

Kellam recorded just one attack error in 24 attempts, hitting a match-high .542 for the Great Danes. Cowdrey finished with a double-double, slamming 13 kills and tallying 17 digs, while sophomore setter Brooke Stanely also finished with a double-double, notching 47 assists and 13 digs. Sourbeer also reached double-digit kills, tallying 11 in the match, while Gonzalez led the team defensively with 27 digs.

Junior Alexis Crusey led Yale (4-3) with 18 kills and 15 digs, while Mendenhall also recorded a double-double, finishing with 39 assists and 15 digs. Freshman middle blocker Taylor Cramm, who finished with nine kills, and Hearst, who added six kills, both finished with three block assists for the Bulldogs. Sophomore libero Kelly Ozurovich recorded a team-high 23 digs for Yale.

UAlbany (6-7) will start play on Saturday at 10 a.m. against Long Island, who dropped a 3-0 decision earlier on Friday to Dayton. The Flyers will face Yale at 12 p.m., before the Bulldogs and the Blackbirds take the court at 5 p.m. UAlbany will play Dayton in the tournament finale on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

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UAlbany (6-7) def. Yale (4-3), 3-0 (22-25, 19-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-6).