The Hofstra University volleyball team was swept by the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens in a three-set loss. Hofstra continues to struggle against the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with a 6-6 record as the season starts to dwindle with six games left. Their overall record remains atop the standings at 16-7.
Beatriz Alves stood out with her 3,000th career assist in the loss, becoming the sixth player in program history to do so. Alves had 24 assists in the match.
On the other side of the net, Delaware was blazing hot with their seventh consecutive win. They remain in second place with a 9-3 conference record and a 16-4 overall record.
The Pride failed to find their groove after playing five sets the previous day. Izadora Stedile topped Hofstra with eight kills while Clara Bal and Beatriz Braga were right behind with seven and six respectively.
The Blue Hens’ offense was spearheaded by Lani Mason’s 10 kills on the day.
The Blue Hens set the tone out of the gate with a speedy 12-6 lead behind a Madelyn Grunza kill. Hofstra remained resilient with three big kills from Emily Nunes and Bal that put the Pride on the tail of the Blue Hens, 14-13.
Both teams remained neck and neck after a Kirah Johnson attack error at 21-21. Delaware sped past Hofstra in a late-set win with four straight points ending on an attack error by Stedile, 25-21.
Hofstra stepped up first in the second set, climbing to a fast 7-4 score thanks to two kills by Stedile. Delaware remained behind, and the Pride had the edge throughout the set. A Braga kill and service ace put Hofstra at a 17-14 advantage.
The Blue Hens started to gain momentum right when Hofstra’s started to diminish. Delaware tied the game on a bad set from Chiara Cucco, rolling the game away with multiple attack errors. Mason and Grunza stepped up and put the game away 25-22 with two kills.
In a quick 2-0 hole, Hofstra kept the pace up in the third. A Blue Hen attack error and a Yagmur Cinel kill put Hofstra up at 14-12. Delaware had other plans as they steamrolled their way through the remainder of the set with an astounding eight consecutive points, extending their reach over Hofstra 20-14. An attack error for the Pride let the Blue Hens keep their foot on the gas, scoring another five straight to win the set and match 25-15.
Hofstra heads back to Hempstead as the Pride goes up against their new CAA opponent, the Campbell University Fighting Camels, on Halloween weekend, with their first matchup on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Lee S. Weissman
