Freshman phenom Laura Masciullo continues her impressive 2016 season, tallying 14 kills and 13 digs as the Hofstra women’s volleyball team swept Elon University in straight sets to win its fifth straight match on Sunday.
“Anytime you could win a match against a good team in three [sets], it’s a good day,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur after Sunday’s victory.
Masciullo, an outside hitter from Italy, posted a kill total in the double-digits for the 12th time this season, running her season (and career) total to 240 kills, the most on the team this season.
Nanishka Perez chipped in nine kills, and Veronika Kostova, who had previously led the team in total kills before Sunday’s match, chipped in five.
It was the Pride’s third sweep in a row, after making quick business of the Towson Tigers on Thursday and dispatching the University of Delaware on Saturday.
The Pride posted victories of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-20 to secure the victory over the Phoenix.
Hofstra outpaced the Phoenix all over the stat sheet, holding advantages in kills, digs, blocks and service aces.
The big statistical disparity between the two CAA foes, however, was in attack percentage. The Pride had a .333 attack percentage, way ahead of Elon’s .150 mark on attack.
The Phoenix also made 19 attack errors, compared to just nine from Hofstra.
That should come as no surprise to Hofstra fans, as offense has been the Pride’s strong suit all season.
The Pride has posted 1,063 kills this season, and is one of only three teams in the conference to reach the 1,000-kill mark this season.
That firepower comes from the tremendously balanced attack that Mansur has constructed this season.
Five members of the Pride have reached 100 kills this season: Masciullo, Kostova, Perez, Michela Rucli and Leticia Valente.
Valente continues to sit due to injury, but the Pride has more than made up for the loss of production in her absence.
“We’ve gotten to the point that if one of our big players is out, we have other players that could elevate their level and play well,” Mansur said.
After an exhausting weekend, the Pride competed in three matches in a four-day stretch. The Hofstra volleyball team will have a week to regroup and refocus before its next match.
The next game on the schedule will be a daunting task for the Pride, hitting the road to take on Northeastern University. The Huskies currently sit atop the CAA standings with a 5-1 conference record, 15-5 overall.
First serve is set for 4 p.m. on Oct. 15, at the Cabot Center in Boston.