456 days after a devastating defeat in the 2019 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals, the Hofstra volleyball team was finally back in action on Saturday, Feb. 20, as they swept New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in three straight sets at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.
“It was just wonderful to be back on the court,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “We are just very happy and grateful to have a chance of playing, and for the support that Hofstra gave us to get us back to where we are today competing against NJIT.”
Maddie Appleton, making her setting debut following the departure of Hofstra star Luisa Sydlik, recorded 31 assists in the match, leading the Pride to set wins of 25-14, 25-15 and 25-5, respectively.
Outside hitter Ana Martinovic, who is also taking on a new lead role following the graduation of another stand-out in Laura Masciullo, tallied a team-high 10 kills in the win.
“[Martinovic] has stepped up as a leader for the team on and off the court. She’s teaching and guiding our younger players,” Mansur said. “We have a super young team and she’s really helping guide them and taking a lot from us coaches throughout the last couple of months.”
Hofstra and NJIT opened the match by exchanging points, and were knotted up at seven until the Pride exploded with a 9-0 scoring run to take a 16-7 lead. Madeline Matheny and Athina Dimitriadis fueled the way during the offensive tear, as they totaled five of the nine points scored.
The Pride pushed their lead to double digits shortly after, scoring another four consecutive points thanks to three straight errors by the Highlanders, and a service ace from Appleton.
Dimitriadis’ fourth kill of the set with the score at 24-14 gave the Pride a 1-0 advantage.
The second set was almost identical to the first, as Hofstra and NJIT played tough until the Pride’s 8-0 run broke it open. With Hofstra ahead 8-6, Matheny’s two straight kills started another huge offensive outburst from the Pride, extending the lead to 16-8.
Later on in the set, Hofstra used kills from sophomores Sarah Pierre and Zyare Abdul-Rahim to take another four consecutive points, and closed out the set with Dimitriadis once again.
Hofstra closed out the match with an imperious 25-5 win in set three, immediately taking control with a 12-0 scoring run. In addition to the explosion by the offense, the Pride’s defense exceeded another level in this set, allowing NJIT to score back-to-back points only once.
“I think a lot of today was just the nerves of getting back and competing after 15 months,” Mansur said. “We just had to really worry about Hofstra and work on the chemistry getting back on our side and enjoying the momentum and the chance of playing again.”
In addition to Martinovic’s 10 kills, Matheny finished one behind her with nine, and Pierre and Abdul-Rahim both tallied five in their Hofstra debuts.
“We have super high expectations for [Abdul-Rahim],” Mansur said. “We think she’s going to continue to grow and she’s going to be one of the most athletic and best players we have ever had.”
The Pride will look to improve to 2-0 on Sunday, Feb. 21, as they take on their Long Island rival Stony Brook University at the Physical Education Center at 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein/The Hofstra Chronicle
