By Kevin Carroll – ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Hofstra volleyball team returned home to the Mack Physical Education Center for the first time in a month on Friday night, after a grueling five-match road trip. It was anything but a happy homecoming however, as the Pride came up short against UNCW, three sets to none.
“Just a very bad night of volleyball,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur after the match. “We showed up for a few points in the first set, and then no one really showed that they wanted to play.”
Nanishka Perez led the Pride with nine kills on a night where the Pride hitters struggled to get anything going against the Seahawks. The team had only 31 kills, and 29 attack errors, with a meager .017 attack percentage.
The Pride did come out hot in the first set, controlling much of the early action. The Pride led 12-8 midway through the set, and looked poised to coast to victory, but seven consecutive Seahawk points put Hofstra behind 15-12. The two teams battled back-and-forth, but it was ultimately UNCW that managed to hang on, withstanding a late surge from the Pride to win the first set 25-22.
The second set wasn’t as competitive, with UNCW controlling the action from start to finish. Leticia Valente won the opening point to give the Pride a 1-0 lead, but that would be the only time Hofstra led in the set. Miscues, and stellar blocking from the Seahawks, would prove to be too much for the Pride to handle, dropping the second set 25-11.
Down two sets to none, on the brink of defeat, Hofstra showed signs of life, opening up the third set with two straight points from Perez and Brianna Montgomery. UNCW put a quick halt to the Pride’s momentum, however, by taking the next five points, opening up a 5-2 lead that Hofstra couldn’t overcome. In the end, the Pride fell in the third and final set, 25-15.
“We were not here mentally,” said Mansur. “Anyone that saw the match saw that our hitters were not taking big, aggressive swings.”
Hannah Klemm posted a match-high 28 assists for the Pride, giving her an NCAA-best 1,105 on the season. For the Seahawks, Katie McCullough had a match-high 10 kills.
The Pride volleyball team returns to action on Sunday against the College of Charleston. The Pride beat Charleston three sets to two in their first matchup this season. That match begins at 1:00 on Sunday afternoon at the Mack Physical Education Building.
