The Hofstra University volleyball team made history with their 3-0 sweep of UNC-Wilmington on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Pride’s victory marks their ninth consecutive win, dating back to the second set of their match against Temple University on Sunday, Sept. 15. Hofstra remained undefeated and handed the Seahawks their second Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) loss.
Entering the matchup, Hofstra was just one of 10 Division I programs to hold an undefeated record. They also entered the series ranked twelfth in the nation for blocks per set with 2.89 and held sixteenth place in the NCAA with assists per set with 13.22. The Pride’s defense has been spectacular to start. They own the eighth-place spot in the nation for digs per set with 17.15 and have been great at holding the opposition to very few kills. Hofstra ranked fourth in the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage with 0.115.
The Pride dominated despite a slow start and put up crooked numbers against the Seahawks. Hofstra notched 40 kills to the Seahawks’ 25 and 45 digs to their 26. The convincing lead that Hofstra gained in the early sets allowed new faces to enter the game. Ellie Pamatat, Georgia Ahlert, Lauren Konzen and Clara Bal all came in off the bench in the third set and made an immediate impact.
“Different people got a chance to get in to play, and they did a really nice job,” said Hofstra head volleyball coach Emily Mansur. “It didn’t matter who was there; the team worked well.”
Izadora Stedile has been the centerfold of Hofstra’s recent success, and this victory was no different. Stedile had her second double-double in two matches, putting up 13 kills and 10 digs. Beatriz Braga has also been a key piece for the Pride, showing up after sitting in the first match against the Seahawks and dominating with 13 kills, seven digs and a service ace.
“[Braga], man, [Braga] is special,” Mansur said. “She works; she wants it really bad.”
Julia Amorim was at the helm of Hofstra’s blocking game. The Pride put up 12 blocks in the match, Amorim being part of seven.
“Blocks is the part of the game she [Amorim] is really really good at. It’s what we knew when we recruited her,” Mansur said. “She is working to improve her offense, and we just want her to continue having fun playing the game.”
The Pride got off to a slow start but found their footing as they continued through the match and took convincing victories in each of the three sets. After allowing a 5-0 run in the middle of the first set, Hofstra rallied back and took set one with a 25-17.
The deadly duo of outside hitters, Stedile and Braga, led the Pride to victory in the second set with seven kills apiece. The Pride came out on top in the second set with a 25-18 victory.
The third set started off as a back-and-forth, both teams exchanging points to tie the score to seven apiece. Hofstra then took off, going on a 7-0 run, taking a huge lead. The Pride were easily able to cruise to a 25-14 victory in the final set, sealing the historic win with a series sweep.
“We have the defending champions next week, so right, that’s pretty humbling,” Mansur said. “We know that we just got to work.”
The Pride head on the road to face the reigning CAA champions, the College of Charleston, for the first time since the Cougars knocked the Pride out of the CAA Tournament last season. Hofstra headed into the series on Friday, Sept. 26, looking to solidify the best start in program history. Game time was set for 6 p.m.
