In a 3-0 win over Long Island rival Stony Brook University, the Hofstra University volleyball team won its fifth straight match without dropping a set on Friday, Oct. 17. The Pride improved to 14-2 on the season with a 7-2 record in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. The Seawolves fell to 4-3 in conference play.
The Pride continued their dominant stretch of play at the David S. Mack Physical Education Building. They are 6-0 at home and have won 18 straight sets, dating back to their 3-1 win over Temple University on Sept. 14.
“So appreciative of every person that was here,” said Emily Mansur, Hofstra head coach. “It makes it so much more fun. Every person that was here, they were in the game, and they are the seventh player for us.”
Izadora Stedile earned her ninth double-double of the season, recording match-highs with 16 kills and 12 digs. Beatriz Braga contributed 13 kills and eight digs. The Pride defense was stellar with 10 blocks, led by Julia Amorim with five on the evening. Amorim entered the match fifth in the nation, with 1.71 blocks per set. Nina Jioshvili-Ravva provided another well-rounded performance with a match-high 35 assists to go along with six kills, nine digs and two blocks. Friday’s match was Jioshvili-Ravva’s 10th with at least 30 assists and her eighth with at least 35, ranking second in the CAA at 9.47 assists per set.
“[Jioshvili-Ravva] is a great player,” Mansur said. “[She] is growing every day, getting used to the season, getting used to the ball, her teammates and she did a really good job.”
Stedile was dialed in from the jump, picking up two kills and a service ace for three of the Pride’s first five points. The Pride and Seawolves were knotted up at 10 apiece before the visitors went on a 6-1 run on the back of three straight attack errors by Hofstra in a sloppy start to the match.
The Pride slowly fought their way back into the set, clawing away at the Stony Brook lead, pulling to a 25-25 tie and holding off three straight set points. Braga came in clutch with three consecutive kills to tie the game and take the lead. Both sides traded points until the Seawolves threatened at 28-27. Stedile stole the set with back-to-back kills and a block along with Emily Nunes to close the set at 30-28.
“It’s huge, it’s point by point,” Mansur said. “Anyone can win at that point, so when you get it, you have the whole momentum and energy on your side.”
Clara Bal came off the bench for the final few points of the first set but made her mark in the second set. Bal was all over the court, firing up the Pride with six of her seven kills and a block in the second set, including the final kill of the set to put the Pride up 22-12 before winning the set 25-13.
“[Bal] is a great player for us, to have a player like … that not starting, it’s such a big deal,” Mansur said. “She came in, and she dominated. We couldn’t win without being able to make those changes.”
Hofstra quickly got out to a 4-0 lead, but a pair of kills from Stony Brook’s Kali Moore helped the Seawolves pull even at 5-5. But the Pride could not be denied, grabbing control of the match and holding it to the finish. Jioshvili-Ravva, Amorim, Braga and Stedile combined for six kills as part of a 9-1 run to blow the set open and take a 17-9 lead. The Pride cruised to a 25-16 set win to finalize the sweep.
The Pride and Seawolves wrapped up their series on Saturday, Oct. 18. Game time was set for 6 p.m.
