The Stony Brook women’s volleyball team overcame the Albany Great Danes on Friday night, Oct. 26th. Senior Jackie Ahlers marked a match-high 31 kills, and Senior Morgan Sweany contributed 22. The Seawolves came from behind at 2-0 down to clench their seventh straight victory, a 3-2 win at the Stony Brook Arena. Ahlers achieved an excellent hitting percentage of .403 for the Seawolves, who also received a double-double (67 assists, 17 digs) from senior Kaitlyn Deutsch. Junior Noelle Bay led Stony Brook with a match-high 21 digs.

The two rivals scuffled back and forth in Game One, but when the game became tied at 20, the Great Danes scored three straight points. The Seawolves closed the score to within one at 28-27 on an Ahlers kill, but Albany was able to close it out with more kills. The Great Danes picked up right where they left off for match two. The Seawolves closed the shortage to six at 29-23 however; a Stony Brook service error gave Albany the win and a 2-0 lead.

Stony Brook began to change the energy in Game Three, building a 15-8 lead with the help of four Sweany kills. Albany came up to within four points at 16-12 but the Seawolves scored four straight points to drive the lead to eight and continued from there to the 30-21 victory. Stony Brook hit .353 in the game while keeping the Great Danes at bay with only a .200 attack percentage.

Game Four was close all the way with neither team holding a lead of more than three points until the Seawolves scored four straight off two kills apiece from Sweany and freshman Linda Weber to easily take a 22-15 lead. Albany responded by scoring seven straight to tie it at 22. The lead exchanged hands four more times until, with the score tied at 26, the Seawolves scored back to back points on kills from Ahlers and Weber to take a 28-26 lead. Albany closed to within 29-28, but a Sweany kill gave Stony Brook the victory and sent the rivals into a fifth game.

Stony Brook took a quick 6-4 lead in Game Five but the Great Danes rallied together to tie it at six and then at seven. The Seawolves responded with kills from senior Amy Oleksiej and Deutsch to take a 9-7 advantage and impose an Albany timeout. The Great Danes continued to hang in the game by cutting the lead to one point at 11-10 but Ahlers countered that with a kill and the Seawolves closed it out on Sweany’s 21st kill of the set. The Seawolves hit a game-best .407 in the fifth and deciding game.

When asked about their most recent win, senior Amy Oleksiej said, ‘Friday’s win was huge not only because we came behind from a 2-0 deficit and won, but also because it was the first time in four years that we beat Albany during regular conference play.’

In addition to this outstanding win, Ahlers was named America East Volleyball Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday Oct. 22^nd, after taking the first-place Seawolves to successive victories against Hartford last weekend. Ahlers totaled 30 kills last weekend (5.0 per game), while also hitting a collective .364. Her overall tally was a match-high of 13 kills with an attack percentage of .429 in the Seawolves’ 3-0 sweep on Friday October 19th. She came back on Sunday to achieve a match-best 15 kills in Stony Brook’s second consecutive victory over the Hawks.

Ahlers finished the week with a conference-best 5.25 points per game and has now registered at least 13 kills in every Seawolves match this season.

The Seawolves move to 19-7 overall and 7-1 in the America East while the Great Danes fall to 15-8 and 4-3. The Seawolves will resume play at a home game on Friday, Nov. 2^nd against Maine at 7 p.m.