In the first half of the Saturday, Sept. 9, doubleheader in the 2023 Dartmouth Invitational, the Hofstra University Volleyball team defeated the Seton Hall University Pirates 3-1. The victory has the Pride move to an impressive 9-1 on the season, while the Pirates fell to 5-3.
Sarah Pierre led the Pride, finishing the night with 12 kills, four-and-a-half blocks and a .286 hitting percentage. Clara Bal and Yagmur Cinel both recorded double-digit kills and powered the Pride’s offense.
The first set was tightly contested as both teams tied. Hofstra was able to take a 7-5 lead before a strong run by the Pirates meant they took over with a 10-7 lead and forced the Pride into a timeout. The pause did the Pride good as they were able to get on the front foot with back-to-back kills from sophomore Clara Bal and graduate student Sarah Pierre to tie the set at 13.
Tied once again but at 15, two huge service aces by Senior Yagmur Cinel had the Pride up two. Neither team was able to pull away in the set, however, and the teams remained deadlocked this time at 22. A miscommunication by two Pirate players gave the Pride a crucial 23-22 lead before a Seton Hall timeout. The teams went back and forth until the Pride won the tiebreaker on a blocking error to win the set 33-31. Clara Bal had four late kills to power the Pride into a one-set lead after an entertaining opening set.
After the wild first set, the Pride entered the crucial second set in search of a two-set lead. Hofstra found themselves behind with the offense struggling before Seton Hall’s lead ballooned to four, inducing another Hofstra timeout. Following the timeout, the Pride took the lead at 13-12 after with another signature Bal kill. Two straight kills by sophomore Emily Nunes gave the Pride a 17-14 lead, causing a Seton Hall timeout.
A strong rally, finished off with a kill by Cinel, gave Hofstra a sizable 22-16 lead. The Pride held the lead throughout the rest of the set and took a coveted 2-0 set lead, winning the set 25-19.
To kick off the third set, Sarah Pierre was everywhere early, giving the Pride a 3-2 lead. Despite her efforts, the Pirates battled back to tie the set at eight apiece. The Pride maintained their strong play and grabbed a 15-13 lead. Hofstra led throughout the majority of the set until a run by the Pirates gave them a 17-15 lead, forcing a Hofstra timeout. After the break, the Pride leveled the score at 18 thanks to a service ace from Izadora Stedile. However, another run by Seton Hall gave them a 23-19 lead before they finished the set 25-19, keeping them alive for a fourth set.
The fourth set started deadlocked at three points per squad. The theme stayed consistent until the Pride took a big 9-7 lead. Hofstra extended the lead to four after a Cinel kill, making it 14-10. Another big run for the Pride made it 20-11 and forced a Pirates timeout, firmly putting the set into Hofstra’s control. The Pride finished the set off after a bit of a scare, winning 25-17 and downing the Pirates 3-1.
Hofstra will finish the Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 6:30 p.m. before opening Coastal Athletic Association play back home at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center in a week’s time against the Elon University Pheonix.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
