The Hofstra University volleyball team extended its win streak to 10 consecutive matches with a five-set victory over Towson University on Friday, Nov. 7. The Pride sits atop the conference, tied for first place with Campbell University; both teams bear an 11-2 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record.
The matchup against Towson is important for seeding in the conference, as Hofstra vies for its first CAA title since 2018. Heading into the matchup, the Pride were one of just five teams in the nation with two or fewer losses on the year.
Towson out-hit the Pride with 71 kills to Hofstra’s 61, yet the Tigers committed double the service errors that the Pride did. Hofstra’s defense held them through a tough offensive battle, combining for 14 blocks and 66 digs. Emilly Nunes led the Pride in blocks with eight, and Constanza Perez Sain contributed six blocks.
Beatriz Braga posted her third consecutive match with 20 or more kills, notching 21 kills on the day with 11 digs and two blocks.
“[Braga] has been taking charge of us, and I love it, and I knew she would,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “It’s exciting because it’s been game after game, she’s growing.”
Izadora Stedile was strong on both sides of the ball for the Pride. On the attack, she recorded a .353 hit percentage with 16 kills. Stedile also anchored the Pride’s defense, tallying 19 digs and two blocks.
The first set was a gritty back-and-forth matchup between two of the top contenders in the CAA. Towson had a 9-2 run late in the set, gaining a multi-point advantage on the Pride and pushed to a 25-20 set victory.
The Pride bounced back in the second set with a commanding 25-17 victory. The set was an offensive explosion for the Pride, highlighted by a hit percentage of .423 and 15 kills. Stedile led the strike with five kills in the set.
Towson answered with a huge 25-15 victory in the third set. The Pride struggled offensively, committing eight attack errors with a negative hit rate throughout the set. The Tigers had 13 kills to Hofstra’s six kills.
The fourth set was the longest duel that the Pride faced this season. The set lasted to the 30-28 mark. Hofstra came back from a huge 12-6 deficit, rallying back to tie the score at 22 apiece. The two teams exchanged points through the next 12 plays. Finally, a winner of the set was crowned, as the Pride capitalized on a service error, and Stedile capped it off with a kill to keep the Pride in the match.
“We had to find a way, and they did,” said Mansur. “We were down in the fourth set, and we could have quit, but we didn’t. We came together and played a nice last set.”
Conference standings were on the line in a tense fifth set. Hofstra took a convincing lead early in the set, yet Towson fought to tie the score at 10. Ella Sanders took control of the Tigers and gave them an 11-10 lead on a huge kill. After that kill, the Pride kept the Tigers silent. Braga started a 5-0 run to finish out the set and kept the Pride’s win streak alive.
The Pride looked to continue their momentum in the second match against Towson on the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 8. First serve was scheduled for 3 p.m.
