The Hofstra volleyball team defeated the Stony Brook University Seawolves 3-1 in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) matchup on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Pritchard Gymnasium in Stony Brook, New York.
Yagmur Cinel showed the way for Hofstra, as she led the team with 17 kills and 19 digs.
“So happy for [Cinel],” said Emily Mansur, Hofstra head volleyball coach. “She wants to play, and she’s fighting for her position; and she did a really great job. I think [Cinel] needs to continue to trust herself. She’s a really good volleyball player, and she showed this weekend.”
Hofstra dropped the first set 20-25. They fell behind 11-21, before scoring five unanswered points to make it 16-21. However, the Seawolves managed to hang on and win the set. The Pride learned from that set and did not look back.
“We had a slow start, but it was nice that we were able to pick up the second set and build some momentum to go home 3-1 and win in both matches this weekend,” Mansur said.
The second set turned out be an especially back-and-forth contest. The score was tied 16-16, before Hofstra took over and won the set 25-19, learning from Stony Brook’s first set victory.
The third set also started back-and-forth, with the one of the most memorable moments being when the set was tied at 11. From there, Hofstra scored six unanswered points to make it 17-11. They would outscore Stony Brook 8-6 the rest of the way to take the set 25-17 and put Stony Brook in a 2-1 hole.
In the fourth set, the Pride jumped out to a 10-4 lead, before letting Stony Brook back into the set, as that lead shrunk to 11-9. However, Hofstra did not let up much more, as they plunged to a 17-10 lead, before winning the set by a score of 25-17.
“I think we did a good job adjusting our defense based on what we saw yesterday,” Mansur said. “I think they did a much better job serving. [The] ladies stayed very focused, which was a big thing for us, and made smart decisions.”
One of the main reasons why Hofstra was able to remain in the match, and not let Stony Brook gain too much of an advantage, was substantial defense. Sarah Pierre led the defensive front with seven blocks.
“[Defense] was non-existent yesterday, so it was nice to see [Pierre] coming in and doing a good job following the game plan and knowing what to do,” Mansur said. “It was good to see that we could change from yesterday, and that was a big positive.”
Izadora Stedile also had a solid performance, notching 13 kills, five aces and 20 digs.
“I think she’s still coming back from the injury,” Mansur said. “We’re [going to] gradually see her coming back and better performance, but it was nice to see her back on a full match and just getting momentum back into playing.”
Beatriz Alvez led the team with 44 assists. Hofstra dominated all main statistical categories, which included a 9-5 advantage in aces, led by Stedile. The Pride also posted a .204 hit percentage, which was better than the .120 mark posted by Stony Brook.
This win takes Hofstra to a 5-8 record, and 2-0 within CAA play. Stony Brook falls to 4-6 and remains winless in two CAA matches.
Next up for the Pride is North Carolina A&T. They will host them in their next match on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
