University of Albany Advances to America East Volleyball Tournament Championship Match With 3-2 Semifinal Win Over Stony Brook - UAlbany Sports 2010

Albany, N.Y. - America East Conference Player of the Year Teresa Coppiellie recorded a team-high 11 kills and Abbey Wexel had 34 assists to lead top-seeded UAlbany team to a 3-2 win over Stony Brook in the semifinal round of the America East Volleyball Championship Tournament. The Great Danes won the match with set scores of 25-19, 25-14, 15-25, 18-25 and 15-10.

UAlbany came from behind to take the first two games. The Great Danes closed with seven of the last eight points in the opener and had a run of eight straight points to pull away in the second game. Wexel had three assists, a block and a terrific save in the run while Wright had three kills.

Stony Brook (11-18) ran out to early leads in the next two games. First-team all-conference honoree Alicia Nelson had 12 of her match-high 26 kills in the two set wins while Kelsey Sullivan had 24 of her 44 assists.

UAlbany used a three-point run to take a 9-6 lead in the deciding set. Coppiellie had a soft-touch kill and Wexel had a service ace in the run. Coppiellie followed with two more kills as UAlbany went up 12-7. Dunja Prgomet scored the winning point with one of her eight kills on the night.

"There is nothing I won't leave on the court this weekend," said Coppiellie, a senior outside hitter. "I will do whatever it takes. In that fifth game, we all just calmed down and did what we needed to do."

Coppiellie had 20 digs and two service aces to go along with her 11 kills. Wright finished with eight kills and six solo blocks, tying a conference tournament record set in 1993.

"We went with a different lineup in the fifth game, and put Casey [Wright] on the front row," said Engstrom. "They really didn't have an answer for her. Teresa and Casey did really well, I thought, and [Lindsey] McCloskey served well down the stretch."

In the other semifinal match, UMBC (12-16) upset second-seeded Binghamton, 3-0. UAlbany (21-7), which is on a seven-game win streak, will play in the tournament championship against the Retrievers at 7 p.m. Saturday at University Gym with an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information