By Tyler McCord, Staff Writer

After capturing only one win in a five game homestand, Hofstra travelled north to Boston to face Colonial Athletic Association opponent Northeastern University. Northeastern had an 8-3 CAA record, making a strong push towards the top of the conference. Hofstra, at the lower end of the standings, is only in position to be a spoiler.

In the first set Hofstra had a hitting percentage of .030, but the other side of the net was not much better. Northeastern hit .161, but registered twelve kills as opposed to Hofstra’s eight. Hofstra was down by as many as seven points, but rallied back to bring the set within reach. Eventually, Northeastern would be too much for the Pride and would outlast Hofstra by a set score of 25-21.

In the second set, Hofstra was down by ten points at one point and this would prove to be too much of a deficit for the Pride. Northeastern hit .344 and committed only three errors to take the second set by a score of 25-18. Hofstra improved from its previous hitting percentage to .125, but it still was not enough as Northeastern responded with a match-high fourteen kills.

In their attempt for the sweep, Northeastern used Hofstra’s eight errors in the third set to their advantage and tacked on nine kills to help the effort. Northeastern would eventually top Hofstra by a score of 25-19. In the loss, graduate outside hitter Marina Markovic had a team-high eight kills and sophomore libero Kylee Maneja had six digs.

Hofstra’s season is winding down rapidly with only two more matches left on the schedule. For its next match, Hofstra will travel to CAA opponent George Mason University. After that, the Pride will close out its season at James Madison.

Freshman middle blocker Ayesha Hein (8) serves against the University of Delaware. (Sean M. Gates/The Chronicle)