The Hofstra Pride volleyball team defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 3-0 in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup on Saturday, Sept. 24, at home at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. 

This was the first matchup between the two teams now that the Aggies are a new addition to the CAA.

Hofstra’s first set was its most dominant of the match. Toward the end of the set, the Pride had four unanswered points and easily took it 25-14.

Freshman outside hitter Izadora Stedile led the team with seven kills and four digs in the set. Sophomore setter Beatriz Alves led the team with 13 assists in the set.

“[Stedile] is getting back to her normal self,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “I think we’ll have a couple of weeks to go until she’s fully recovered, but it’s nice to see she’s moving well.”  

The second set saw more back and forth between the teams, but dominant offense by the Pride allowed them to take the second set as well. Redshirt senior Zyare Abdul-Rahim helped Hofstra with a 3-0 unanswered streak, as she had two kills and a block to start the second set. 

The Pride had three unanswered points to win the set 25-19. Alves contributed a kill and middle blocker Sarah Pierre had a kill as well. 

In the final set, Hofstra jumped out to an early 6-2 lead and later had six unanswered points. Hofstra closed the set 25-17 to secure a dominant victory. 

“It was definitely a better effort as a team,” Mansur said. “We are happy to see the improvements coming from last week.”

Stedile led the team with 13 kills and eight digs. She also had a .450 hit percentage which was second on the team. Alves ended the match with 38 assists, leading the team in that category. She also had a season-high three blocks. Sophomore libero Chiara Cucco led the team with 16 digs.

Overall, Hofstra had 102 attacks compared to North Carolina’s 85. They also had the upper hand in hit percentage with 0.255% compared to the Aggies’ 0.082%. They had 43 assists, with the majority coming from Alves.

“I think we had very good moments for everything,” Mansur said. “The goal with this young team is to keep this momentum. It’s been big to build a team, the ladies are comfortable walking around each other and I think the more comfortable they get around each other, the better we get as a team.”

This win takes Hofstra to 6-8 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Aggies fall to 4-9 overall and remain winless in conference play. 

The Pride and the Aggies faced off again on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. 

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics