Chestnut Hill College Athletics

Gelfan Garners CACC Honor Roll Mention For Play at Wildcat Regional Invitational
 
New Haven, Conn. - (9/15/2015) – Putting up career numbers in two of four matches at last weekend’s Wildcat Regional Invitational, sophomore middle hitter Samantha Gelfan (Chandler, Ariz.) earned a mention on this week’s Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Honor Roll. On Saturday, September 11, Gelfan set a career mark in kills with 13 in a five-set match against American International College (AIC) only to surpass her personal best a day later with 18 kills in a five-set loss to Pace University. She averaged 2.41 kills-per-set on a .254 (41K-10E-122TA) hitting percentage and totaled 44.0 points in the invitational.
 
Chestnut Hill College (0-8) set the tone with a pair of kills to begin the contest. They stretched the margin to 14-4 after consecutive bad sets by AIC (3-2) and the margin never dipped below double digits again. From there, the teams settled into a back-and-forth battle, each jockeying for position. The second set featured 10 ties, the last at 14-apiece, until the Griffins scratched their way to a four-point run bolstered by kills from freshman setter Kennedy Sutton (Chesapeake, Va.) and Gelfan, 18-14. Gelfan provided the finishing touches on the next three points for the scarlet and gold, her final kill of the set making it 21-17. AIC got within a point at 22-21, but Sutton bookended kills for junior outside hitter Madison McBride (Long Beach, Calif.) and senior outside hitter Rachel Biro (Nazareth, Pa.) around one by the Yellow Jackets to secure a 25-22 decision and a two-set advantage. Unfortunately, the Griffins could not capitalize on the momentum, dropping the final three sets of the match 25-22, 25-23, and 15-10.
 
For the fourth time in their first eight matches Chestnut Hill College competed in a deciding set, this time battling Pace University to a 3-2 loss (23-25, 21-25, 25-21, 30-28, 15-9) that saw 18 kills Gelfan and eight team blocks in a rollercoaster affair. The Griffins battled the Setters to a 22-22 stalemate in the opening set before taking the frame 25-23 on a Pace University miscue and kills from McBride and Gelfan. The Griffins rallied for another win in the second set with Biro connecting for two clutch kills in a four-point run that earned them a 25-21 win and a 2-0 edge on the Setters. Unfortunately, the next set did not go as planned for the Griffins, who trailed the Setters in a 25-21 third-set spread before enduring losses of 30-28 and 15-9 in a 3-2 match final.
 
The Griffins return home to open their CACC schedule on Thursday, September 17, with a 7:00 p.m. match versus Goldey-Beacom College.