Volleyball Slips in Five at Colby Sawyer

NEW LONDON, N.H. – Suffolk took Colby Sawyer the distance, but could not hang on for the victory in the long run as the Chargers rallied for a five-set thriller Tuesday night. The setback came by set scores 25-27, 25-21, 21-25, 25-9 and 16-14. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 2, Colby Sawyer 3
RECORDS: Suffolk (12-13)| Colby Sawyer (12-18) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk took a 2-1 lead in the match with wins in the first and third set, respectively. Colby Sawyer dominated the fourth frame to force a thrilling, back-and-forth set that the Chargers won, 16-14. 

SET ONE RECAP (27-25, SUFFOLK)

• The score flip-flopped before Suffolk found itself in a 15-8 hole at the midway point.
• The Rams rebounded using a 7-1 spurt to equalize the set at 19-all.
• The score would lock at 20, before an attack error by Charger's Rebecca Straubel gave the Rams a 21-20 edge, their first advantage of the set since scoring the first point of the night.
• Sarah Mullahy added to the lad with a kill, but Colby Sawyer had other things in mind.
• Three quick points turned the tides and gave the hosts a 24-22 lead.
• A service error by Courtney Murray followed by a ball handling error by Olivia Goodrich kept it close at 24-all.
• The Chargers scored the next point, but Bridget Allison kept the Rams in it with a kill to change the score to 25-25.
• Suffolk would couple back-t-back points -  a kill by Talia Lombardo and an ace by Rachel Fancy – to seal the comeback, 27-25. 

SET TWO RECAP (25-21, COLBY SAWYER)

• Suffolk gained a 7-3 lead to jump start the second stanza.
• The Chargers chipped away at the advantage and leveled the playing field at 11-all.
• The Rams hung around with Colby Sawyer tying the frame at 17-all, but the Chargers tormed back to regain a 24-17 cushion.
• Thanks to an attack error by Nicole Olivieri Suffolk stayed alive and charged back.
• The Rams rattled off four quick points including blocks by Allison sandwiched around an ace by Fancy to chip away at the margin and pull within three, 24-21.
• Colby Sawyer locked up the set, 25-21, as Fancy miss served.   

SET THREE RECAP (25-21, SUFFOLK)

• There were five ties and four lead changes in the third set.
• A Courtney Murray kill tied the set at 20-all, but the Rams rallied a 5-1 stretch capped by a Dakhensey Marcellus ace to take the set 25-21. 

SET FOUR RECAP (25-9, COLBY SAWYER)

• Colby Sawyer came out on fire in the fourth and took an 8-1 lead before the Rams took a timeout.
• The Chargers continued to apply the pressure and never looked back as they knotted the match at 2-2 with a convincing 25-9 fourth set victory. 

SET FIVE RECAP (16-14, COLBY SAWYER)

• The frame built on the drama from the previous sets as the set saw nine ties and four lead changes.
• The Rams held a lead of two points on multiple occasions, with the latest coming at 11-9.
• Back-to-back kills from Naarah Cox pulled the Chargers even at 11-all.
• Colby Sawer then had match point at14-12, but a Charger error and a Kayla Barbera kill brought Suffolk back in the set at 14-14.
• The home team received a kill from Straubel to bring the Chargers to match point once again.
• Alli Lahiff put her stamp on the evening with her 12th kill of the match to send the Chargers home with the win, 16-15. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Hannah Fabiano led Suffolk with a 10-kill effort. She added six digs, three aces and a pair of blocks.
• Marcellus tallied a team-best 14 digs.
• Fancy finished with 28 assists, eight digs and three aces.
• Lombardo added seven kills, 11 digs and three aces. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Colby Sawyer went to five sets for the first time in the series history. 

POST-MATCH PIC
 

COMING UP

Suffolk puts a cap on its regular season home slate Thursday, Oct. 26 as it welcomes UMass Dartmouth to Regan Gymnasium. First serve following the Senior Night ceremony that will honor the playing careers of Liz Kerek and Jessica Rexrode is scheduled for 7 p.m.