After a promising start to its weekend, the Stony Brook women’s volleyball team fell apart in the second half of its weekend series in Virginia.
The Seawolves (9-4, 2-2 CAA) had an up-and-down weekend against the William & Mary Tribe (5-8, 1-3 CAA). On Friday, Stony Brook won in 3-2 fashion but struggled mightily on Saturday as they fell by a final score of 3-0.
The Seawolves had their backs against the wall right from the get-go in the first set, trailing 23-19. Outside hitter Kali Moore then registered a kill before a pair of attack errors by the Tribe cut the deficit to one. William & Mary outside hitter Maddie Meyers then delivered a kill to initiate set point. Behind 24-22, Stony Brook rattled off a 4-0 run to come back and claim its stake in the opening set.
In the second set, the Seawolves squandered an early advantage. This time, the Tribe scored seven unanswered points to turn a 13-9 deficit into a 16-13 advantage. After Stony Brook closed the gap to two points, William & Mary went on a 6-2 run to knot the match at a set apiece.
Looking to bounce back, the Seawolves came out firing in a crucial third set. Outside hitter Leoni Kunz registered a pair of kills complemented by contributions from Moore and middle blocker Mercedes Motton, as Stony Brook took an 8-2 lead. Later, Moore tallied three more kills herself, powering an 8-1 run to open the Seawolves’ lead up to 18-6. Moore then bookended the set with her fifth kill, giving Stony Brook a 25-11 victory.
The fourth set was most similar to the second as the Tribe went on a 6-0 run fueled by a pair of kills by Meyers. Trailing 19-13, Moore came up with six consecutive kills to draw as close as 22-21. However, the comeback proved too-little-too-late as William & Mary grabbed the set with a 3-0 run, ending with a kill from Meyers.
With both teams claiming two sets, the Seawolves fell behind 9-6 in the decisive fifth set. After head coach Kristin Belzung called a timeout, Meyers’ attack went awry which sparked a 7-1 run for Stony Brook. Up 13-10, Kunz delivered the final two blows as the Seawolves came away with a tight victory in the weekend opener.
“[William & Mary] put us in situations where we were in and out of rhythm throughout the match,” Belzung said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “It was a battle and I’m proud of our group for coming together in the fifth set to get it done.”
The Tribe continued to make it tough on the Seawolves on Saturday as they used a 6-1 run to take a 17-14 lead in the second game’s opening set. However, Stony Brook immediately fought back, engineering a 4-1 run to tie the set at 18. With the score at 21-21, Meyers gave her side the lead for good with a kill before William & Mary libero Lindsay Kahren served back-to-back aces. On set point, Moore committed an error on the serve to give the Tribe the first set by a score of 25-22.
In the second set, both sides traded massive sprees to open the action. First, Meyers and William & Mary opposite hitter Katherine Arnason each registered two kills on a 7-0 run. The Seawolves immediately responded by embarking on a 9-1 run, spearheaded by Kunz and Moore. The teams then went back and forth until the Tribe put up three consecutive points to take a 22-19 advantage. Stony Brook responded by scoring four of the next six points, but a kill by William & Mary opposite hitter Nicole Smith sealed it for the Tribe.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Seawolves immediately fell behind as a methodical attack by the Tribe built up a 14-6 lead. They later went on a 6-1 run to stretch the lead to 23-12. Smith and Arnason then delivered the final daggers as William & Mary wrapped up a tidy sweep to split the weekend.
“Tough day all around for us,” Belzung said. “Honestly it felt like a series of missed responsibilities on our end defensively which led to worse opportunities to score. Every match is going to be a battle and we need to be more crisp to get the win.”
Stony Brook had a sloppy weekend offensively, posting a .153 hitting percentage. Moore led the offense with 35 kills, including 28 on Friday while Kunz posted 23 of her own. Outside hitter Quinn Anderson had 10 kills and Motton pitched in nine.
Libero Julia Patsos was the standout defensively with 35 digs. Setter Torri Henry had 22 digs and delivered 76 assists across the weekend.
The Seawolves will now shift their attention to next weekend’s matchup against Charleston. The Cougars have gone 11-4 overall including a 4-0 mark in CAA play. Stony Brook will welcome Charleston to Pritchard Gymnasium starting Friday with a 5 p.m. start and a noon start on Saturday.
