The Hofstra volleyball team ended a three-game losing streak on Wednesday, Sep. 7, with a four-set win over St. Francis College with set scores of 25-15, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-19. This win brings the Pride’s record to 3-5 for the season before they open conference play.
Freshman Clara Bal led the team with 12 kills and six service aces as she continues to be the Pride’s top killer for the third consecutive game.
“It’s not just her playing, it’s the personality,” said Emily Mansur, Hofstra’s head coach. “She’s the person right now that we cannot take off the court. It’s a lot of fun to see, and I think she has a lot to grow in volleyball so it’s a lot of fun to work with her.”
The service aces were a key component of the match for the Pride, as it tallied 15 over the four sets. Hofstra opened strong as they went on two back-to-back 5-0 scoring runs and had four service aces in their first set alone.
“It’s been something this season that we have been struggling with, and we have great serving in practice,” Mansur said. “We just need to trust and be mature at the game when it counts and do what we do every day. It was nice to see the 15 aces, but we got to keep working.”
The second set was different, as St. Francis went on a 7-0 run early on that the Pride did not recover from. Camelia Melendez and Penelope Rivera combined for the bulk of St. Francis’ points, while several errors ruined any chance for a comeback for Hofstra.
After a balanced start to the third set, St. Francis went on a 6-0 run to take a 11-7 lead. More back and forth scoring followed until junior outside hitter Yagmur Cinel and Bal combined for three consecutive points to tie the set. It was even again until two kills and an attack error by St. Francis’ Melendez closed out the set for the Pride for a 2-1 set lead.
The fourth set was back and forth for both sides. Hofstra started with a quick lead, but St. Francis responded almost immediately with four straight scores. Zyare Abdul-Rahim, Emily Nunes, Izadora Stedile and Florencia Wolkowyski put up six consecutive points to get the lead back for the Pride. For the rest of the set, everyone contributed to finish the set 25-19 and secure the win.
Sarah Pierre and Abdul-Rahim both finished with eight kills, while Kennedy Stevens and Beatriz Alves had seven and six respectively. Cinel and Chiara Cucco both had three service aces; on the defensive side, Pierre led the team in blocks with five, and Beatriz was close behind with three.
While Hofstra picked up its third win, St. Francis fell to 2-6 and are 0-10 when facing the Pride. Hofstra’s upcoming matches are all in Syracuse, New York, this weekend where they will play Syracuse University, Army West Point and Yale University before starting Colonial Athletic Association play against Stony Brook University on Saturday, Sep. 17.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
