In Hofstra volleyball’s Colonial Athletic Association opener on Saturday, Sept. 23, they fell to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia by a score of three sets to two.

Set scores were 19-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-22 and 10-15.

Trailing 22-19 and down two sets to one the Pride were able to rally, scoring six straight points and forcing a fifth set.

However, they were outlasted by JMU who were able to take the final set and the match.

Defensively, Hofstra did their best to neutralize the Duke attack, as Michela Rucli and Doris Bogoje combined for four blocks while freshmen duo Maddie Appleton and Aisha Skinner combined for 43 digs.

Skinner’s 21 set a new career high, beating her previous high of 15. Skinner also recorded 15 kills, coming right behind junior Laura Masciullo who tied JMU’s Bryn Recker with a game-high 22.

Nanishka Perez also added 10 for the Pride.

This match was back and forth to the very end with Hofstra trailing only 10-9 in the final set thanks to a monster spike from Masciullo. The Dukes, however, were able to hold them off from there on, scoring three straight points to stretch the lead to three, and then converting on a serve by Jacqui Koebel to secure the game with a walk off service ace.

The Dukes were driven by Recker’s 16 kills, most of which were fed by Sarah Marshall, who finished with 45 assists in the contest. 

JMU was able to seize their opportunities, beating Hofstra in hitting percentage with a .209 percentage compared to the Pride’s .171. JMU also committed fewer mistakes, finishing with 22 errors – six less than Hofstra.

The Pride will continue deeper into conference play on Friday as they welcome Elon to campus at 7 p.m..

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics