By Jeffrey Werner – STAFF WRITER
The Hofstra Pride volleyball team finished their regular season up this weekend on a three-match winning streak, gaining momentum going into the CAA Tournament this coming weekend. The Pride will have to face some pressure though in order to defend their CAA title.
Despite a four-way tie for first in the CAA between Towson, James Madison University, UNCW and Hofstra, with each finishing 12-4 in CAA play, the Pride was given the fourth seed. JMU was awarded the first seed and home-court advantage while Towson got the second seed and a quarterfinals bye. The Seahawks of UNCW have the third seed, the College of Charleston Cougars have the fifth seed and the William & Mary Tribe round out the CAA tournament with the sixth seed.
Hofstra’s first opponent in the tournament will be the fifth-seeded Cougars. That game, the first of the tournament, will commence at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20. The Cougars finished their season 18-12 overall and 10-6 in the CAA. The winner of this matchup will go on to face top-seeded JMU.
Hofstra had success against College of Charleston during the regular season. In the first matchup on Oct 1, the Pride was able to hold off a comeback from the Cougars and claim the match 3-2. Veronika Kostova led the way in scoring with 27 kills with the help of Hannah Klemm, who racked up 59 assists.
In the second matchup, Hofstra made quick work of the Cougars at home, sweeping them in the match 3-0 and in the season series. Kostova and Klemm were once again the stars of the match, though their stats weren’t as impressive. Kostova only had 10 kills while Klemm had 27 assists.
If Hofstra wants to beat the Cougars, they need to follow the following keys to victory. Firstly, spread the attack and contain Melissa Morello. The Pride has many more options on the attack than just Kostova.
If they can, and most likely will, involve players like Leticia Valente, Michela Rucli and Brianna Montgomery, there’s no reason to think the Pride won’t be strong offensively. Defensively, they need to watch out for Morello, who has accumulated 478 kills on the season. The Cougars will likely rely on her, as the next closest player to Morello has 315 kills, so if the Pride can limit Morello’s effectiveness, they can limit the Cougars offense.
For the Cougars, their strategy will have to focus on getting the most out of Morello and taking advantage of Hofstra’s errors. Morello leads the CAA in kills so she will be looked to as the offensive workhorse for the Cougars. If she has a good game, then College of Charleston will be tough to beat.
On the defensive side, the Cougars need to take advantage of the Pride’s errors. Hofstra leads the CAA in errors with 712 on the season, and the first line for Hofstra are going to their first CAA tournament, so inexperience may play a factor. If the Cougars can take advantage of the Pride’s errors, they will have a better chance at taking down the defending champs.
Following the Hofstra vs. C of C match, the UNCW Seahawks and the William & Mary Tribe will face off to determine who will play the Towson Tigers. Then on Sunday, Nov. 22, the winner of the JMU vs. Hofstra/C of C will play against the winner of Towson vs. UNCW/William & Mary for the rights to call themselves CAA champions and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
