In their second home game of the season, the Hofstra University volleyball team brought out the brooms in a dominant 3-0 win over Hampton University on Sept. 27. The Pride are now 2-1 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play and 6-6 overall.
“Any win in the CAA is a great win,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “We are happy to have our first home win of the season, so it’s very nice.”
The Pride is starting to hit their stride in the middle of the season while the Pirates continue to struggle in their 2024 campaign, as they remain winless through 14 total games.
Hofstra’s Constanza Perez Sain dominated the floor, leading the team with 13 kills, while Yagmur Cinel and Clara Bal combined for 18 kills. Ellie Pamatat continues to thrive with 34 assists in the match.
“[Sain] is an aggressive player,” Mansur explained. “[Pamatat] and her have an excellent connection on and off the court, which helps.”
Hampton had no chance against the fiery Hofstra offense in the Friday night match. The Pride came out strong, pounding the ball over the net. In the first set, Hofstra led by as much as 10 points in their 25-12 first set win.
This continued for the next two sets as the Pride dismantled the Pirates with a 25-15 second set and a 25-16 third set on their way to a sweep.
Along with their dominance, Mansur gave some of her new players playing time, including Karson Catalanotto.
“[Catalanotto] started [in] set 2 and she did a really nice job, she completely changed the momentum for us [in] set 3,” Mansur said. “We were down, she came in, we made the run and we never stopped from there. She stepped up big time.”
On the other side of the roster, this was the first full match Cinel has started all season for the Pride in her fifth year. Mansur is excited about what she is seeing right out of the gate.
“It’s good to see [Cinel] moving around a little bit more,” Mansur said. “It is going to be a process.
Hofstra faced the same Hampton team in an afternoon rematch on Sept. 28. The first serve was set for 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Albin
