The Hofstra volleyball team won its second straight match, shutting out Syracuse 3-0. The Pride was dominant, never trailing in the first two sets. Hofstra would win both sets by the same score, 25-18. However, the final set was a little more competitive, as there were six ties, and three lead changes.
Eventually, Hofstra would turn its focus to the defensive end, holding the Orange to a .029 hitting percentage, and win the final set 25-20.
For the Pride, sophomore Nanishka Perez contributed in many different ways, as she had 10 kills, six digs, three service aces, and two blocks. However, Veronika Kostova, the season leader in kills, also had 10 in the match to tie Perez for the game lead. Additionally, senior Hannah Klemm was the anchor again, as she posted 21 assists, adding to her whopping total of 291 on the season.
Furthermore, just as she did in the last contest against Sacramento State, freshman Luisa Sydlik helped out Hannah Klemm in the assist department. Against Sacramento State, she had a crucial 39 assists. In this match, she added another 16, making it 55 assists in the last two contests. For Syracuse, Leah Levert led with 8 kills and five blocks, while Jalissa Trotter posted 21 assists.
Hofstra dominated in every stat department, including kills, where they outscored Syracuse, 44-25. However, the Pride was plagued by errors throughout the match, totaling 21 errors while the Orange had just 14.
The win was Hofstra’s 29th ever against a current member of the ACC, and their first since sweeping Boston College in 2008. This match was a bit of history for both teams, as these two teams haven’t played each other since 1996, and this was the first Hofstra win since 1992. All-time, the Pride is 7-4 against the Orange.
With the victory, Hofstra improved to 6-2 in this early part of the season, and have won the first game of the Syracuse tournament. The Orange has yet to record a win, falling to 0-5 so far. The Pride will look to make it three in a row overall, when the team faces off with 17th ranked Penn State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
