The Hofstra Pride volleyball team faced a halt in team momentum at the UNLV Challenge this weekend. The Pride fell to Cal State Northridge 3-2, lost to UNLV in straight sets, before picking up a victory over Sacramento State 3-1.
Hofstra was riding high coming into the tourney, having slain its four previous opponents. The Pride was continuing to get stronger at working together and melding with the new crop of players.
The Pride started the challenge with a 2-0 lead over the Matadors. The Pride then took a 10-5 advantage in the third set, looking to cruise to a sweep over Cal State Northridge. The Pride defense collapsed as CSUN slammed kills over the net. Hofstra’s offense stalled with a few attacking errors.
All of a sudden, it was 16-15 Matadors. CSUN went out to an 8-0 run and never looked back, clinching the third set 25-17. The Matadors’ confidence swelled as they won the fourth set by a 25-15 margin.
Veronika Kostova and Nanishka Perez took over in the fifth set, earning a combined eight of the squad’s 13 points. It wasn’t enough as CSUN Julie Haake proved too much to handle. She led the California school to a fifth-set victory, handing a shocking defeat to the Pride. Haake totaled 30 points in the match, triple the total of the second-best hitter on her team.
The early afternoon loss set the tone for the Pride’s evening face-off with the host school, UNLV. Hofstra never led in the first or second set past the set’s third point. In the third, the Pride came out strong by capitalizing on attack errors from the Rebels. Hofstra led 15-7, holding that advantage until Alyssa Wing and Bree Hammel of UNLV synced up for a 9-2 run. They captured the third set 25-22 for the sweep.
The bane for Hofstra in the match was blocking. While UNLV secured 12 blocks, Hofstra had just three. The superior defensive net play was ultimately the difference-maker for the Rebels.
The Pride regrouped, holding off Sacramento State 3-1. Each set was won by four scores or fewer as the Pride’s exceptional play down the stretch netted them the points that mattered. Luisa Sydlik enjoyed a more prominent role in the offense. She totaled 39 assists compared to 19 for reigning CAA Setter of the Year Hannah Klemm.
The Pride now sits at 5-2 on the season. Hofstra is next in action this weekend when they travel upstate for the Syracuse Tournament. Both Cuse and #17 Penn State will provide harsh challenges for the blue and gold at the competition.
