By Tyler McCord, Staff Writer
On Friday night Hofstra’s three-game winning streak was snapped. The Pride hosted Colonial Athletic Association opponent Delaware to kick off its five-game home stand.
“I think we played well in the first three sets,” said Hofstra head coach Kristina Hernandez. “Then I think we lost our gas a little bit and the serving errors beat us.”
With kills from graduate student Marina Markovic, redshirt freshman Nikki Kinnier and freshman Ayesha Hein the Pride grasped the lead in the first set and never let go. Hofstra went on to dominate Delaware en route to a 25-18 first set win.
Opening the second set up, Hofstra jumped on the board with an attack error by Delaware. Late in the set, Hofstra found itself in great position to steal the set from the Blue Hens, leading 24-18. In a matter of minutes, the six point lead slipped away and Hofstra was trailing 24-25. The second set ended on an attack error by the Pride, with Delaware winning 26-24.
“Our youth definitely showed,” Hernandez said. “We got really relaxed, we thought the game was over.”
Hofstra was executing plays, getting timely blocks and keeping plays alive against the team with the second best record in the CAA. A kill from Hein put the icing on the cake for the Pride as it outlasted the Blue Hens 25-23 in set three.
In the fourth set, Hofstra was neck and neck with its opponent but hit a wall late in the set. Notched at seventeen a piece, Hofstra had difficulty scoring. The Pride watched Delaware score seven straight points before it could answer back with a point of its own. Delaware evened the match at two sets each with a 25-19 win.
In the fifth set, the Pride fell behind early and stayed there, dropping the set 15-10. The loss drops Hofstra’s overall record of 9-18 and to 2-6 in the CAA while Delaware improves to 17-5 overall and 6-1 in the CAA. “If we kept our serves in and stayed aggressive it would have given ourselves a chance to win,” said Hernandez.
Hofstra will next host CAA opponent Towson on Sunday at 1:00pm to continue the homestand. “They need to get experience with having a lead and finishing matches,” Hernandez said. “You can’t do what we did tonight in conference.”
Sophomore Carolyn Jenkins (22) hits the ball in the Pride’s loss to Delaware. (Sean M. Gates/ The Chronicle)
