The Hofstra University volleyball team closed out the regular season with a heartbreaking four-set defeat to Towson University on Saturday, Nov. 16. After beating Towson in an exciting five-set win that Friday, Hofstra fell short of victory and split the series. Hofstra and Towson both end Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play with a record of 14-4 and earned bids in the CAA tournament.
Last year, the Pride missed the tournament with a record of 8-10 in CAA play and an overall record of 18-11. Hofstra bears the same amount of overall wins this season with 18 but has limited the losses to only nine.
Despite this tough loss, Hofstra put up strong numbers against Towson, outpacing them 61-56 in kills and 82-69 in digs. Clara Bal and Constanza Perez Sain both put up 15 kills for the Pride and Chiara Cucco and Izadora Stedile held Hofstra’s defense strong, with 22 and 21 digs, respectively.
Hofstra got off to a slow start, allowing Towson to take the first three points of the match. The Tigers continued to tack points on the board with both kills and blocks. Despite Hofstra’s late 4-0 run, they were unable to catch up to Towson, who took the first set in a 25-20 victory. Towson’s offense showed up in the first set, putting up 13 kills to the Pride’s 12. The “x factor” in the set was Towson’s three blocks, which helped propel them to a win.
In a seesaw second set, which saw 14 tied scores and five lead changes, the Tigers pulled out the victory. Despite losing the set, the Pride outscored the Tigers in kills and digs, 15-13 and 25-20, respectively.
Late in the second set, the teams found themselves with a 20-20 tie. Hofstra took the one-point lead on a block from Iyanna Garvin and Beatriz Braga. Towson answered with two back-to-back points. The Pride tied it again at 22-22 on a kill from Perez Sain. Towson rounded out the game on a three-point run, sparked by two Hofstra errors. The Tigers took the second set in a 25-22 win.
Hofstra bounced back in the third set, taking a tight 25-22 victory. The Pride‘s offense excelled in the must-win set, putting up a total of 16 kills. Hofstra came back from an early deficit with a five-point run to tie the set at 17. Hofstra finished the set on a 4-0 run, extending the match to a fourth set.
In an exciting final set, Towson sealed the match victory. The two sides played a very even set, coming to a late 20-20 tie. Hofstra pulled ahead with a three-point run; however, Towson crawled back and tied the score at 24. The teams fought back and forth, tying the score again at 25, 26 and 27 a piece. Hofstra tried to hold the Tigers offense, but they exploded with three back-to-back kills to finish off the set, beating the Pride 29-27.
Hofstra will return to Towson University to compete in the CAA Championship tournament. Their quest for a CAA title will begin on Thursday, Nov. 21 against North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Gametime is set for 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Albin
