Stony Brook Wins First Ever #AEVB Championship
ALBANY, N.Y. – For the first time in program history, the Stony Brook Seawolves are champions of America East volleyball. Under first-year Head Coach, Kristin Belzung, the Seawolves became the first fourth-seeded team ever to win the title.
Entering the postseason with a 6-6 record in conference play, the Seawolves swept through the championship, winning six consecutive sets against New Hampshire and Binghamton, respectively. They began the championship match against the Bearcats with a 25-20 win in the opening set. Several Bearcats timeouts couldn’t slow down a Seawolves’ attack that hit .419 in the second set and took a 2-0 lead before clinching the victory with a score of 25-19 in the final frame.
A team that led the league in hitting percentage during the regular season, Stony Brook finished the night with a .264 hitting percentage. Junior McKyla Brooks finished with a match-high 14 kills and was named Most Outstanding Player. Sophomore LeAnne Sakowicz set up many of those kills, recording 35 assists, which was also a match-high.
Joining Brooks on the All-Championship team were teammates Sakowicz and Kiani Kerstetter, Binghamton’s Sarah Ngo and Gaby Alicea, New Hampshire’s Gabri Olhava and Albany’s Taylor Robinson.
Binghamton’s Sarah Ngo received the conference’s Elite 18 award, handed to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among championship game participants. The senior carries a 3.79 GPA and is pursuing her MBA.
The Seawolves now await the NCAA Selection Show to find their destination in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will air on ESPNU on Sunday, November 26 at 9 p.m. EST.
2017 America East Volleyball Championship
at University at Albany’s University Gym – Albany, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday, November 17
#2 Binghamton 3, #3 New Hampshire 0
#4 Stony Brook 3, #1 Albany 0
Final – Saturday, November 18
#4 Stony Brook 3, #2 Binghamton 0
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