With a 3-0 sweep over Stony Brook University on Saturday, Oct. 18, the Hofstra University volleyball team tallied its 18th consecutive set victory. The Battle of Long Island win moves the Pride to 8-2 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play and 15-2 overall. Hofstra is one game out of first place in the CAA behind only Towson University.
Hofstra racked up 24 attack errors on the day, along with nine service errors.
“Not the best offensive night, too many errors from the team,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “Stony Brook got to us. They played great defense, and we made them force errors, but we found a way to win, and that’s what is important.”
Despite the .182 hit percentage, Hofstra saw many offensive contributions across the board. Izadora Stedile struggled with nine errors but compensated for them with 14 kills and 14 digs. Constanza Perez Sain also put up double-digit kills with 10.
The defense stepped up when the Pride’s offense went through ebbs, with nine blocks and 55 digs.
“I think that a big reason that we won today was our defensive game,” Mansur said. “Our defensive game stepped up and allowed our attackers to make errors in a not-costly way.”
Lilia Duczek was a key contributor in the blocking game, with seven total blocks. Duczek has played in just 22 sets yet has dazzled in her opportunities with 44 total blocks on the season.
The Pride got out to an early lead in the opening set, going on a 3-0 scoring run. Hofstra started to slip after creating a 13-8 lead, committing four consecutive errors to put the Seawolves within one point. Clara Bal came in clutch and regained control for the Pride with a huge kill. The Pride were able to bounce back and fight for the 25-18 set victory, highlighted by 18 kills. Beatriz Braga and Perez Sain each notched four kills apiece in the first set, while freshman setter Nina Jioshvili-Ravva contributed 15 assists and two blocks.
The Pride struggled throughout the second set with nine attack errors, which allowed the Seawolves to take their first lead of the day. Hofstra allowed a five-point scoring run, but the Pride rallied back with a kill from Braga which started a 3-0 run.
“I think we are getting better at responding to the late-set rallies,” Mansur said.
The run shifted the momentum and helped carry the Pride to a 25-21 victory in the second set.
The third set was a thrilling back-and-forth battle with eight ties and three lead changes. In a 9-9 tie, Bal came through with two kills and an assisted block to give the Pride the lead.
“Like [Bal] did on [Friday], she came in and changed the game,” Mansur said.
Hofstra’s offense prevailed through the set and put up an overwhelming 18 kills, while the Seawolves struggled offensively with just four kills in the third set.
The Pride looked to add to their six-match win streak with an out-of-conference matchup against Rider University on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Match time was scheduled for 6 p.m.
