Courtesy of Albany Media Relations
ALBANY, N.Y. - Amy Oleksiej has six of her 17 kills in the fifth and deciding game to lead Stony Brook to a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over top-seed UAlbany in the semifinal round of the America East Conference Tournament on Friday evening at University Gymnasium. The Seawolves, who won by scores of 26-30, 30-28, 22-30, 30-26 and 15-12, advanced to tomorrow's championship against the Binghamton-Maine semifinal winner. The America East champion receives an automatic NCAA berth.
UAlbany (26-4) won the third game in convincing fashion behind the play of senior Ashlee Reed, who had a career-high 21 kills and added 13 digs. Reed put away four shots in a run that stretched her team's lead to 26-19, as the defending America East tournament champions pulled away. Blair Buchanan, who totaled 51 assists, five kills and eight digs, scored off a set with a dump to tally the game point.
Stony Brook (12-17) came broke to take the fourth game by reeling off five straight points for a 14-11 lead. Morgan Sweany, who recorded a double-double with 19 kills and 19 digs, drilled a service ace to end that run. The Seawolves, who had dropped a pair of three-game sweeps to UAlbany during the regular season, never trailed in the fourth after that outburst. Noelle Bay, a 5-foot-10 freshman, had five of her 17 kills in that game.
The Great Danes, who had their 11-match win streak halted, were behind by as much as four points in the deciding game. However, UAlbany closed within one on two occasions in the stretch, including 13-12 when Reed delivered a kill off a block attempt. Oleksiej then spiked a shot in the middle and a Great Dane attack sailed wide of the right sideline to close out the upset.
"This hurts a lot, especially for our five seniors who have helped build the program," said Buchanan, the America East player and setter of the year for the second consecutive season. "Our defense was not up to its usual level. They served the ball aggressively and caught us off guard with the number of jump serves they used."
Ashley Hunter and Ashley Crenshaw had 12 and 11 kills, respectively, for the Great Danes, who had won 11 of 12 home matches this season prior to the contest. Shelby Goldman, one of six all-conference performers on the UAlbany squad, was forced to leave the match in the second game when she suffered a high ankle sprain.
"We had two big wins to even get into the tournament," said Sweaney, a first-team All-America East outside hitter. "I think that helped us pull together because we had to win. After we won game two tonight, we said to ourselves that we've got one, now let's get more. The coaches had us change to jump serving for this match and that helped keep their offense off the net."