By Bob Bonett
Expectations for the women’s volleyball team entering this season were dominating offensive outputs from outside hitter Lauren Engle and middle blocker Amanda Beyersdorff coupled with stringent defense by Shellane Ogoshi.
However, after taking down Northeastern in four games Saturday, it appears that the Pride are more than just a three-headed monster.
Behind the regained offensive prowess of Harmonie Calinda, and the usual output by the team’s three stars, Hofstra finds themselves off to a running start once again in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The team-entering Saturday’s conference opener against Northeastern at 7-6 after a demanding, long non-conference schedule-came out poised to take down the Huskies, and save one slow start, the team did just that.
Away in Boston, Mass., the Pride kicked off the opening game red hot, staking claim to an early 14-8 lead.
The Huskies would stay close, however, utilizing a strong offensive attack led by Kira Batura (14 kills) and Lauren DeTurk (23 kills) to remain with Hofstra, down 21-17 late.
However, coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell then received a flurry of kills, highlighted by Calinda’s to give the team a 28-24 lead, and proceeded to take the first game, 30-24.
Up one game to zero, the Pride came out in Game 2 looking to force the Huskies into an even deeper hole. However, a slow start, highlighted by serve-receive which “broke down a little bit,” according to Netherby-Sewell, would eventually prove to cost Hofstra the game.
“In the first game we were in such control I think we relaxed just a little bit,” Netherby-Sewell said, “and the second game gave Northeastern some confidence.
The Huskies (7-10, 0-1) would build an early 8-0 lead on the back of four early kills by DeTurk and not look back, taking the game rather handedly, 30-21.
The third game took an entirely different course for each team. Neither side managed to accumulate any sort of runs, as the two squads would remain tight throughout an entire game that featured an unheard of 20 ties.
After exchanging blows for 60 points, the teams were knotted up at 30. Looking to avoid falling behind two games to one, Calinda (12 kills) would step up big, tallying a kill assisted by setter Sarah Lopez to put the Pride (8-6. 1-0) up, 31-30. DeTurk would answer right back with a kill of her own, though, tying the two teams at 31 again.
Beyersdorff (10 kills) would propel the Pride right back into the lead with a kill of her own, only to see the one-point lead erased after a bad set by Lopez (36 assists).
Engle, the team’s leader in kills, would proceed to put the Pride up one off an assist by Ogoshi (14 digs), and an attack error by Northeastern would give Hofstra the 34-32 win, and with it, the 2-1 lead in the match.
Game 4 of the match started out much the same way as the second stanza, as the Huskies jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. However, the Pride would come back firing on all cylinders, tallying nine consecutive points, predominantly thanks to six attack errors by Northeastern, to take a 9-4 lead.
Hofstra would not look back after taking the lead, holding onto a comfortable margin, and eventually take the game 30-23 on a kill by Engle (13 kills), and with it, the match.
Netherby-Sewell likened the match to last year’s contest between the Pride and Huskies.
“We came out strong, in control in the first game with a lot of confidence, and in the second game, Northeastern went up 9-1 which is exactly what happened last year,” Netherby-Sewell said, “but [the team] stay composed and came away with the win in the end.”
As the team’s coach acknowledges, the women have a large target on their backs this year. One year removed from an easy conference title, teams below them in the preseason rankings are looking to take down the Pride, aiming to take the conference in upset fashion.
“Every single team school in this conference is gunning for us because we are expected to finish in the No. 1 spot,” Netherby-Sewell said, “so teams are going to put up a fight against us.”
Up next for Hofstra will be UNC Wilmington-who may put up “much more of a fight than last year,” according to Netherby Sewell-on the road, on Friday.
Then, on Sunday, Hofstra will head down to Georgia State for what should be a marquee conference match-up. Netherby-Sewell has consistenly reiterated that GSU is a darkhorse in the CAA, and could put up a substantial fight against the preseason-favorite Pride.
The team will probably look forward to getting past their southern road trip, as the team will return to their Hofstra confines next Friday against George Mason. The conference match will be the team’s first home appearance in nearly a month.
“It’s always a challenge to go on the road for this long, but being on the road you are very focused and just thinking volleyball and keeping your mind on the opponents,” Netherby-Sewell said, continuing to say the last two road games are really going to lead the women, and the coach, to look forward to coming home to Hofstra.
UNC Wilmington, the current task at hand for the Pride, are 6-10 overall, and 0-2 in the conference.
Lauren Engle, pictured, teamed with Harmonie Calinda, Amanda Beyersdorff, and Shellane Ogoshi to pave the way for the Pride’s CAA-opening victory. (Stephen Cooley)