Home is definitely where the Pride loves to play, as the volleyball team pulled their second straight victory against the College of William & Mary Sunday afternoon.
After a bit of a stutter in the first few conference games on the road for Hofstra, the Pride has been able to impose its dominance at home with momentum seeming to carry over from the first 3-0 win vs. James Madison University.
Then, the Pride posted a 3-1 victory against a William & Mary team who still have yet to be on the winning side of a match this conference season.
Hofstra took the first set with ease, winning 25-14.
The winning point occurring on a service error by the Tribe, a reoccurring issue for them throughout the whole game.
With little question as to how the set would turn out – as there were no lead changes – the focus zoned in on Hannah Klemm as she neared 4,000 assists in her Hofstra career.
That feat was accomplished as Klemm set up a pass that led to a powerful kill by Laura Masciullo for the 24th point of the set.
“It’s so good to see her accomplish such a big number and a big thing and leave her mark here at Hofstra.
“She’s a very special player for us, as a person, as a player, as a leader. So I’m very happy for her that she was able to accomplish that.”
Klemm became only the third player in team history and ninth in CAA history to reach this mark.
She finished the game with 37 assists.
The second set was the only hiccup in the game for Hofstra.
Lack of focus was apparent and seemed to be the biggest issue in a set that ended with six errors, the most out of any set for the Pride.
Sets three and four were as smooth as the first for the Pride, with a high firing attack on its side, as well as a myriad of errors coming from the Tribe to assist Hofstra on a dominant victory.
The Pride’s offensive prowess was on display throughout the whole match with an attack percentage of .304, compared to an incredibly inefficient .061 from the Tribe.
The leader of this attack was once again standout freshman, Masciullo, who tallied 17 kills with only two errors.
Michaela Rucli followed with 15 kills of her own for an outstanding attack percentage of .520.
There were key moments in the game where the offense was stalling a bit, only to have Rucli come in with an emphatic kill to give a spark to an offense in need of a big play.
When asked about Rucli’s offensive performance, Mansur expressed the timely big plays from Rucli and said, “Whenever we needed a big kill she was there to be able to help and make that happen.”
Though Rucli’s offense was what stood out, her defense was still her calling card and made it known with a wave of the finger signaling “not in my house,” after she blocked a Tribe attack to make the score 5-3 in the third set.
Rucli just so happened to have her family travel from Italy to come watch her put on this incredible performance.
One thing that has been extremely impressive, has been the Pride’s leadership in the absence of star Leticia Valente. Whether it’s been leading by example, like Klemm setting her teammates up for success with perfectly placed assists, or leading vocally like Nanishka Perez so often does, the leadership presented by these players is something that cannot be coached.
The leadership that members of the Pride have displayed this year can be a huge asset to the Pride moving forward as it faces different types of adversities.
Next on the Pride’s schedule is the Towson University Tigers, who are currently 2-1 in conference coming off a solid 3-1 win against University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
The Pride hopes to continue its dominance at home, even though it will be a change of scenery as they move from the David S. Mack Fitness Center to the Mack Physical Education Center.
