NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The never quit mentality for Post University Women's Volleyball continues to be on full display and although it has not shown in the win column yet, the incremental improvements for the Eagles have slowly began to show with each passing game. Once again after finding themselves down 2-0 against University of New Haven, Post University would fight back to take the third set and fall in a closely contested fourth set by just two points, falling to the Chargers, 3-1, in New Haven on Thursday night. 

THE BASICS

Post University 1, University of New Haven 3 

Post University (2-14)
University of New Haven (9-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED
From the very start of the first and second sets, it was the Chargers who took full control and never looked back. Set one would see New Haven jump out to a 4-0 lead behind two kills from junior outside hitter Macy Brown and from there on out it would be their set for the taking. Trailing by six points, a 3-0 run which was highlighted by sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Sharkey's two kills to pull the Eagles within three before an 11-3 run for New Haven turned the tides in their favor for good to earn a 25-14 first set win.

A 6-0 run out of the gate in set two followed by a 5-0 run while leading 8-2 gave the Chargers a double-digit advantage that would not get any smaller than nine points throughout the remainder of the set. Two of junior outside hitter Caley Harper's 20 kills in the game would come on a brief 3-0 run before the end of the frame which went in favor of New Haven, 25-13. 

The game of runs would reverse roles in set three as Post University hopped out to a 6-1 advantage behind kills from Harper, junior outside hitter Hannah Brandt, junior setter Colleen Romero, and senior middle hitter Kaitlyn Lemmon. However, up 7-2, the Chargers would charge back into the set with a quick 6-0 blitz that saw them take their first lead of the set by one following four consecutive attack errors from Romero. Undeterred, the Eagles would answer back with a 5-1 run on a trio of kills, an attack error, and a service ace from junior outside hitter Kaila Sandy to leapfrog ahead once more. 

The lead would never be relinquished again, shrinking to as few as two points on a few occasions before the Eagles would mount a response to take comfortable control and go on to win set three, 25-20. 

Defined by eight lead changes and 13 ties, the two teams would battle back in forth with the Eagles looking to force a decisive fifth and final set while the Chargers looked to finish the match and extend their winning streak to four straight games. Looking down and out of it trailing 22-17 following a 5-0 run by New Haven in which they capitalized on three Romero errors, a matching 5-0 run with three service aces by Sandy saw the Eagles pull even at 22 all.

A service error by Sandy followed by Harper's 20th kill of the match brought both teams with two points of the set victory which would ultimately go New Haven's way with back-to-back kills from Brown clinching the set, 25-23, and the match for the Chargers, 3-1. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Caley Harper notched her ninth consecutive double-digit kill game, finishing the match just shy of her career-high 21 kills set last match while tallying double-digit digs for the third straight game -- Harper's 21-kill game was the highest mark since Madelynn Boop during her freshman year against Caldwell (11/08/21) when she finished with 30 kills 
• After tying her career-high last match with 33 digs, Alyssa Groves tallied 30 digs across her four sets of action against New Haven 
• In the absence of senior setter Izabella Rae, Maria Fernanda Branco finished with 39 assists, tying her career-high which she set on this date (October 5th) a year ago (2022) against Caldwell University 
• Attacking at a clip of .362, Caley Harper notched the highest hitting percentage of her career relative to the amount of total attacks she had during the match (20-of-47 with three errors)

WHO'S NEXT
Post University wastes no time getting back on the floor tomorrow evening back inside the Drubner Center at 6:00 PM for a matchup against Daemen University. The Eagles are 1-2 against the Wildcats, with both losses coming in 2016 and 2018 after winning their first-ever matchup against each other back in 2015.