The Hofstra University volleyball team continued their strong start at the 2024 Wake Forest Invitational after defeating the United States Naval Academy 3-1 on Saturday, Aug. 31. The Pride are now 2-0 this season while the Midshipmen are 0-2.
Trailing 7-0 in the first set, Hofstra earned their first point on a service error from Navy’s Hannah Hoover. The Pride came from behind but did not hold the lead until a kill from Emilly Nunes, assisted by Beatriz Alves, put the Pride ahead 11-10. The two teams traded points during the middle of the first set. Once the score reached 21-21, a pair of kills from Izadora Stedile earned Hofstra four of the set’s last five points, winning 25-22.
Similar to the middle of the first set, neither team had a streak of more than three points during the full second set. Six of the Midshipmen’s points came off attack errors while another three were from service errors by the Pride. Similarly, Hofstra scored eight points off Navy errors. Freshman Constanza Perez Sain served the first ace of her collegiate career and the first of her team-leading eight aces during the matchup’s second set. Navy defeated Hofstra 25-22 in the second set.
After a tight two sets the Pride reverted to their winning mindset in the third. Three times Navy scored a single point after a pair of Hofstra points. The Pride held the lead until a bad set from Stedile and a four-point streak from Navy put the Midshipmen up 9-7. Hofstra and Navy seesawed in scoring after the Midshipmen’s streak, but a six-point streak started by a Nunes kill and an Alves assist helped the Pride rally past Navy and bring the score up to 22-17. Navy scored their final point of the set on a kill from Grace Burgoyne, but the Pride responded with another three-point streak. A kill from Perez Sain with another assist from Alves finished the Pride’s 25-18 third set.
By the fourth set, it was clear that Navy could not catch up to the Pride’s earlier successes. Up 4-0, the Pride’s fourth-set shutout ended quickly after Navy’s Farrah Eike recorded a kill. However, Hofstra scored the next six points, including a trio of aces from Perez Sain. Navy then scored five straight points, three on consecutive kills from the Midshipmen’s Ava Toppin, narrowing the Pride’s lead to 12-8. Hofstra continued to score no less than three consecutive points in the set, ultimately winning 25-14 on an error from Burgoyne.
Stedile led Hofstra with 11 kills on 33 attacks, while Alves continues to lead the team with 39 assists. Perez Sain led the Pride by scoring 18 points.
The Pride concluded their time in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the first weekend of the 2024 season on Sunday, Sept. 1, against West Virginia University.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Jaylynn Nash LLC
