Steven Wolff – STAFF WRITER
At TD Arena, the Hofstra Volleyball team stayed undefeated in CAA play, as they inched past the College of Charleston Cougars, 3-2.
The Pride got off to a hot start, as they won the first two sets, however the pesky Cougars did not go away, rallying to take the next two sets.
Then in a tight fifth set, Hofstra fell behind early but then went on a 7-2 run that put them up 8-5 which became the turning point for Hofstra to win their fourth straight match.
The set scores were 27-25, 25-22, 22-25, 20-25 and 15-13.
Junior outside hitter Veronika Kostova, led the Pride with 27 Kills on the day to put them at match point, where Hofstra eventually went on to win the match on a Cougar error.
Pride head coach Emily Mansur talked about Kostova’s success, who leads the team on the season with 291 kills. “Veronika’s back, she had a great match, and it’s really exciting to see her do that,” said Mansur.
The contest was a rematch of the 2014 CAA title, where Hofstra came out with a victory. They were determined to repeat history, as Kostova and Valente were impossible to stop, combining for 42 kills.
For the cougars, they had a two-headed attack of their own with senior outside hitter Melissa Morello and freshman Middle Blocker Kennedy Madison. They were one of the main reasons they stormed back to take the middle two sets, combining for 40 of the Cougars 65 total kills.
The win brings the Pride to 13-6 on the season, and 4-0 in the CAA. They are now sitting at the top of the conference, with James Madison right behind them holding a 12-3 record, 2-0 in the CAA.
Hofstra will look to continue its winning streak and solid conference play, as they travel to North Carolina on Thursday, for a 7pm contest with UNCW.
