The Hofstra University volleyball team fell short in a five-set thriller to Campbell University in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship.
For the third time in five years, the CAA final went to the maximum five sets, and this season’s match produced an instant classic. The Pride led 24-21 in the fourth set with three chances to close out the match, but the Fighting Camels rattled off five straight points to force the decisive fifth set.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur. “It’s devastating for our seniors that don’t get to do this again. It’s just really hard; it’s a special team and we were so close. It’s tough.”
Hofstra’s three stars, Beatriz Braga, Izadora Stedile and Clara Bal, were outstanding for the Pride, combining for 62 of the team’s 72 kills.
Braga set a new career-high with 25 kills, more than any other player in the match, while also recording 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Stedile had 20 kills and 14 digs for her 17th double-double, reaching 20 kills for the fifth time. Bal tied her season-high 17 kills, hitting .333 for the match.
Nil Kayaalp played the best game of her Hofstra career, recording a career-high 27 digs and adding four assists.
Campbell’s Gwen Wolkow was sensational, leading the comeback effort with 23 kills, 12 digs and 3 blocks, while hitting at an impressive .367 clip.
Despite holding a 15-14 advantage in kills through the first set, the Pride struggled out of the gate, committing 12 errors. Hofstra still had a chance to win the set when they fought off two set points, but Wolkow’s third kill gave Campbell the advantage before a pair of blocks sealed the 26-24 set win. Campbell’s defense had three of their 10 blocks in the opening set.
Hofstra took control midway through the second set. After trading points to open the second with the score tied at eight, the Pride went on an 8-2 run to pull ahead 16-10. The Hofstra defense showcased why it was ranked second in the nation in opponent hitting percentage, holding Campbell to a .097 mark in the set.
Wolkow kept it interesting with three kills to maintain the Pride’s pace, but Bal made four kills down the stretch to tie the match at one set apiece in the most lopsided set of the evening.
The Hofstra offense was running on all cylinders in the third set, hitting at a .385 clip. Constanza Perez Sain had her best stretch of the match during the beginning of the third set, with three kills and a block for four of Hofstra’s first five points.
Every time Hofstra went on a run, Campbell answered, scoring four points in a row to take their first lead of the set at 8-7. Campbell’s Hailey Heytvelt had three kills in that stretch, including one to regain the lead two plays later at 9-8. The Pride withstood the back and forth thanks to their top three attackers, recording nine kills to come out on top 25-20, taking a 2-1 set lead into the fourth.
Wolkow was the hero at the start of the fourth set, recording her third block and 12th kill to take an early 4-1 lead. Both sides traded blows, with two lead changes and three ties to reach a 13-13 tie. The Pride went on a 6-1 run for the biggest lead of the set and was closing in on their first CAA title since 2018 when Wolkow saved them again. She recorded four kills to pull her side within one point from the tie. After a kill from Stedile and an attack error from Campbell’s Maja Daca, the Pride were on the brink of history. Campbell stormed back with five straight points, including three kills from Daca, to pull the Camels out of the grave.
There were another seven ties to start the winner-take-all fifth set before the score reached 9-9. Stedile, who was honored as the CAA player of the year, couldn’t convert down the stretch. She had three straight attacking errors to give Campbell a 12-9 lead. Kills from Braga and Stedile were answered by Wolkow’s 22nd and 23rd kills before Aley Clent gave Campbell the championship-winning kill closing the final set at 15-12.
With the win, Campbell improved to 23-6 on the season and will advance to the NCAA Tournament. Hofstra finished second in the CAA, going 22-4 on the year.
