Wildcats travel to Stony Brook

After splitting a pair of conference games in their homestand this past weekend, the UNH Volleyball team travels to Stony Brook for it’s final conference road game of the season on Sunday, Nov. 4. 

The Wildcats and Seawolves last met on Oct. 5, when the Wildcats dominated the game and won 3-1. After UNH easily took the first set, Stony Brook responded with a back-and-forth second set. The Seawolves actually led for the majority of the set until making some attack errors that gave UNH a two point cushion and a 23-21 advantage. The Wildcats took the set and, despite dropping the third set, easily handled Stony Brook in the fourth.   

Junior captain Morgan Thatcher led all players with 17 kills, while freshman Abigail Brinkman had a team-high .333 kill percentage. Freshman Victoria Forrest recorded 13 kills, two serving aces, and seven digs. 

Both teams were heading in different directions following that matchup, UNH sitting on top with a 4-0 conference record, while Stony Brook was hurting with a 1-2 record. 

The Seawolves have recently turned it around, sporting a 4-4 conference record, recently recording an impressive 3-1 victory over previously unbeaten Albany and a 3-1 victory over Hartford. Both teams beat the Wildcats earlier in the season. 

The Wildcats have stumbled somewhat since the last matchup, going 2-3 in conference play since for a 6-3 conference record. The Wildcats are still tied for second in the conference with Binghamton, who the Wildcats lost to this past weekend. 

Part of the reason UNH may be struggling is due to some new lineup configurations. With senior captain Jansan Falcusan out, sophomore Taylor Dunklau has been the new setter. Also in recent games, freshman Abigail Brinkman, a starter throughout most of the season, is now coming off the bench while sophomore Sam Henke has taken her starting spot. Henke, however, plays defensive specialist, while Brinkman plays outside hitter. Head Coach Jill Hirschinger may be opting for a more defensive lineup, at least earlier in games. 

With only three conference games left, the Wildcats are poised for either the second or third seed if the team wins the rest of their games or only losses one. There is an outside chance the Wildcats could gain the one seed and host the America East championship, but Albany would have to lose at least two of their final three matches, with the Wildcats winning all theirs.