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Brown University
2-7
Central Conn. St.
5-6
Brown Volleyball Outlasts CCSU, Falls to NMSU at Brown Invitational
9/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior Sarah Lucenti, junior Shirin Tooloee, and freshman Makena Ehlert all registered double-doubles as Brown University volleyball outlasted Central Connecticut State, 3-2, prior to falling to New Mexico State, 3-0, on the final day of the Brown Invitational at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday.
The Bears (2-8) took the second, third, and fifth sets to upend the Blue Devils (5-6) in their first match of the day, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11), prior to dropping a straight set decision, 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-9) to the tournament champion Aggies (9-4).
Lucenti (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) earned Brown Invitational All-Tournament honors after finishing the day with 67 assists, including a career-high 56 assists vs. Central Connectiut. Tooloee (San Jose, Calif.) and Ehlert (Orange County, Calif.) posted 18 and 23 kills respectively between the two matches.
Next, Brown opens Ivy League play with a home match vs. Yale University on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.
Match 1: Brown 3, Central Connecticut 2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11)
Lucenti, Tooloee, and Ehlert all registered double-doubles as Brown outlasted Central Connecticut State in five sets, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11) in its first match of the day at the Brown Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears moved ahead 2-1 in sets after taking the second and third frames and came back from a deficit midway through the decisive set to eclipse the visiting Blue Devils.
Lucenti posted career highs with 56 assists and 23 digs, Ehlert finished with 18 kills and a season-high 16 digs, and Tooloee totaled 15 kills and 12 digs.
Sophomore Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) landed 14 kills on .303 hitting while junior libero Melissa Cairo (Hillsborough, Calif.) contributed 20 digs. Senior Payton Smith (Atherton, Calif.) tied for the match high with eight blocks alongside seven kills.
Neither side could gain a significant edge in a first set that saw 11 ties and three lead changes. CCSU pulled out the opening frame, 25-22, wit a late run. Ehlert notched five kills in the set while Lucenti had 10 assists and seven digs.
Brown responded with a 25-18 win in set two, capturing a 7-2 lead early in the period after scoring seven straight points. The Bears extended their advantage to 20-13 and shut the door on the set with the last two points. Lucenti dished out another 10 helpers in the stanza.
The Bears surged from behind to take the third stanza, 25-22. CCSU held a 16-11 edge before Brown pulled within 19-18. After a Blue Devil point, Brown claimed the set with a 7-2 streak to conclude the period. In the frame, Ehlert terminated on five kills on .625 hitting with six digs while Lucenti totaled 12 assists and six digs.
After Brown opened the fourth frame with leads of 11-5 and 15-10, CCSU came back to knot the score at 16-16. The Blue Devils went ahead 23-19 before the Bears tied it at 24-24. CCSU gained the last two points to force a fifth frame with a 26-24 win. Stillwell and Tooloee each had five kills in the set with Lucenti dishing out 16 assists.
Brown proved resilient in set five, turning an 8-6 deficit at the switch into a 13-10 lead behind a 7-2 run. The Bears concluded the match with their 15-11 win in the frame. Stillwell landed four kills on five swings with no errors in the period.
For CCSU, Madelyn Kaprelyn notched 11 kills, Kaitlyn Kushman distributed 21 assists, and Rachel Fish tallied 28 digs.
Match 2: New Mexico State 3, Brown 0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-9)
Brown fell to New Mexico State 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-9) in their final match of the Brown Invitational on Saturday night as the tournament champion Aggies recorded a .500 hitting percentage for the match.
The visiting Aggies – the preseason favorites in the Western Athletic Conference – hit .696 in the first set and .577 in the second set while adding 10.0 team blocks over the course of the match against the host Bears.
For Brown, Stillwell and Ehlert each landed five kills while Lucenti finished the match with 11 assists.
NMSU gained a 12-5 lead early in set one, but Brown remained within four points at 17-13 later in the frame. The Aggies closed the period on an 8-2 run to win, 25-15. Ehlert posted four kills in the opening stanza.
Brown trailed just 10-9 early in the second set before New Mexico State scored nine straight points to pull ahead 19-10. NMSU took the frame, 25-15.
The Aggies claimed the match with a 25-9 win in set three. Brown cut its deficit to 8-6 in the beginning stages of the period before NMSU pulled ahead 19-8 on an 11-2 streak. NMSU scored 17 of the set's last 20 points.
For NMSU, Brown Invitational Most Valuable Player Jordan Abalos notched 13 kills on .500 hitting, Brianna Ainsworth dished out 21 assists, and libero Ariadnne Sierra contributed 18 digs.
In the day's other matches, New Mexico State beat Binghamton, 3-1 before Binghamton came back in the afternoon to best Central Connecticut, 3-0.
Brown Invitational All-Tournament Team
Kristella Morina, Binghamton
Erin Shultz, Binghamton
Sarah Lucenti, Brown
Rachel Fish, Central Connecticut State
Jordan Abalos, New Mexico State (Most Valuable Player)
Brianna Ainsworth, New Mexico State
Video of all Brown volleyball home contests and all Ivy League matches, home and away, will be broadcast live on ILDN.TV/BROWN.
