The Hofstra volleyball team concluded their trip to the west coast with a doubleheader split on Saturday, Sept. 8.
Hofstra (7-3) began their day against a lack-luster Southern Utah squad who was just 1-6 coming into the matchup. Hofstra used the momentum from a dominant first set to carry them to an easy 3-0 (25-5, 27-25, 25-15) victory. Junior Laura Masciullo led the team with 12 kills. Seniors Doris Bogoje and Michela Rucli also had double-digit kills for the Pride, with 11 and ten respectfully. The team collectively hit ten service aces during the match, the third time they have crossed double digits this season.
The Pride came our roaring in the first set to set the tone for the match, hitting .458, while holding Southern Utah to a mere -.167 attack percentage. The Thunderbirds played a better second set, but it was still not enough to stop the red-hot Pride. The third set was another easy victory for Hofstra.
Freshmen Aisha Skinner and Maddie Appleton continued their impressive rookie years with 11 and 10 digs respectively in the win.
A few hours after the dominant win,, the Pride hit the court again for a matchup against Saint Mary’s(6-2), falling to them 3-1 (14-25, 23-25, 25-21,18-25)..
Hofstra’s offense got off to a slow start in the first set and could not recover.
In the second set, Hofstra mustered up some offense, but it was not quite enough as St. Mary’s squeaked by to take the second set.
The Pride got over the hump by winning a close third set, but fell in the fourth set to end the match.
Masciullo once again led the team in kills, collecting 13. She continues to close in on the 1,000-career kills mark, now just 37away.
With 6 blocks against Saint Mary’s, Rucli now has 457 in her career. That is good for 4th place all-time in program history.
Junior Luisa Sydlik posted an impressive stat line of 38 assists and 15digs, enough for her team-leading 6th double-double in just ten games this season.
Hofstra next heads into Queens on Tuesday, Sept. 11 to take on St. Johns at 7 pm.
Image courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
