The Hofstra women’s volleyball team wrapped up their four-game road stretch with a straight set victory over Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponent Northeastern on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. The win improves the Pride’s record to 16-6 (6-2 CAA) and drops the Huskies to 11-10 (4-4 CAA).
Coming in hot after winning five of their last six matches, the Pride did not miss a beat in the first set, going up 4-1 right off the bat. Northeastern quickly rebounded, resulting in a back-and-forth middle stretch of the first. After a Hofstra timeout while trailing 18-17, the Pride responded with an 8-2 run. A great serve by Nanishka Perez allowed for an additional kill by fellow senior Michela Rucli to put the Pride up 23-20, and star junior Laura Masciullo finished with a kill of her own to take the first set 25-20.
Among the offensive prowess for Hofstra, Aisha Skinner highlighted the set with multiple powerful kills on the Hofstra front-line. The freshman from Berlin continued her stellar play throughout the match, finishing the game with a team-leading hit percentage of .409 and 11 kills.
One bright spot for Northeastern came from junior Natalie Shollin. The middle blocker registered a team-leading 13 kills as well as a .480 hit percentage on the night. One of her best plays came in the first set, when she faked a set that she instead pushed over the net for a kill.
However, it was more of the same offensive power in the second set for the Pride, as the Hofstra front line proved to be too much for the Huskies. The set featured standout play off the bench from Perez, who registered five of her six total kills in the stanza. The senior from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico also finished with two assists, three digs and three blocks for the Pride. Hofstra won the second 25-18.
Masciullo came out strong in the third and final set, opening with two straight kills to give the Pride the early advantage. She led the team in kills and attacks, with 12 and 29 respectively. Skinner impressed with another high-flying kill in the third to put the Pride up 8-3.
Once again, the Hofstra front line of Masciullo, Rucli, Doris Bogoje and Skinner took over to put Northeastern away. Multiple blocks by the group in the final stanza helped Hofstra take a commanding lead.
Despite the constant offensive pressure from Hofstra, Northeastern hurt themselves as well, totaling 22 attacking errors in the game as opposed to only nine for the Pride.
Bogoje came into Wednesday’s match with a staggering .421 hit percentage, good for sixth-best in the nation. While she was quiet for most of the first and second set, her three kills in the final set led her to a .364 hit percentage on the night.
Following Wednesday’s result the Pride find themselves No. 2 in the CAA standings, only behind James Madison University who is undefeated in conference play thus far.
Photo: Cam Keough / The Hofstra Chronicle
