Despite Beatriz Alves earning her seventh double-double of the season, the Hofstra University volleyball team got swept on the road by the College of Charleston Cougars on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The Pride drops to 18-8 on the season with a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record of 8-7. Charleston jumped to 11-15 on the overall year with an equal 8-7 CAA standing. In the all-time series, both programs have won 12 times, but this was the first time in four matchups that the Cougars came out victorious.
The set scores were 20-25 in the first set, 25-27 in the second and 19-25 in the third.
The first set saw both teams in hot pursuit of each other as neither team held a lead above two points until later in the game. The teams were evenly matched as they both tied and then took the lead on every other serve. However, an attack error by Clara Bal made the Pride lose their momentum, resulting in the home side scoring six straight points to give the Cougars a 25-19 first-set win.
The second set did not start off as tight as the first one, but it soon became a close match. With the set score at 4-3 after seven serves, Hofstra took an 11-6 lead thanks to three service aces – one by Emily Nunes and one by Chiara Cucco, as well as five kills. A Charleston timeout did not do the Cougars any favors as the Pride capitalized on a service error by Charleston’s Olivia Mae Van Der Werff with a kill by Yagmur Cinel. Four straight points from two kills and two attack errors made it a 13-11 match. Hofstra got returned to a four-point lead thanks to a kill by Bal and a bad set by Charleston’s Emma Appleman.
With a 24-21 score, the Pride had the lead, but two kills and an attack error from Beatriz Braga tied the match at 24. Despite a kill by Bal to make it 25-24, Hofstra was not able to take the set. The Cougars managed to tie and eventually win with three straight points, capped off by a Tynley Smeltzer service ace.
Things did not start well for the Pride in the third set, as a service error, an attack error and three straight kills gave Charleston an early 5-0 lead. The Pride responded right back, though, as Bal got two kills, the Cougars’ Lexi Wierzbicki had two attack errors and a Cougars service error leveled the score at five.
The College of Charleston made it 6-5 due to Cinel’s service error, and the Pride only got within one point for the rest of the match. Two attack errors, one by Izadora Stedile and the other by Alves, caused the Pride to lose focus as the Cougars secured their win.
Cinel had 19 kills, which matched her season-high on the year that came against North Carolina A&T State University on Oct. 7. Bal had 10 kills and five digs. Braga also contributed with six kills and five digs.
The Pride looks to win in their second game of the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 5. First serve from Charleston is at noon.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
