Hofstra volleyball put its three-match win streak on the line against Princeton University in the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament at Colgate University in the first of the Pride’s two matches on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Princeton won the first two sets handily 25-15 and 25-10. The Pride did not quit though and continued to fight, but ultimately dropped a close third set 25-23.
Ana Martinovic led Hofstra in the first match with 13 kills while Florencia Wolkowyski added nine of her own. Chiara Cucco was a constant presence in the middle and finished with 18 digs.
The second match was against tournament host Colgate. The morning match gave Princeton the tournament win, so the match versus the Raiders was set up as a second place match.
Hofstra and Colgate looked very evenly matched in the first set. Neither team could gain any real separation from each other, but in the end, Colgate was able to sneak by 25-23.
Colgate then took control and won 25-15 taking advantage of some serving errors by Hofstra.
The third set was a return to close play. Hofstra, up by one, looked to have won the set only for a controversial net violation call after a challenge by Colgate. After some protest by Hofstra head coach Emily Mansur, play continued on with teams swapping points. The Pride were able to force a fourth set winning 29-27 with Damla Tokman sneaking the ball into the back right corner.
Set four looked like a repeat of the second set with Colgate coming out to a 15-7 lead, but a six-point run including two aces by Beatriz Alves put Hofstra right back into it. Colgate then took back the lead when two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Alli Lowe came into the game, winning the final set 25-19.
Zyare Abdul-Rahim’s energy was noticeable all match for the Pride. She and Wolkowyski led the team with 12 kills each. Sarah Pierre provided consistent pressure up front with a career-high 11 blocks and Cucco added 19 digs bringing her total to 37 on the day.
Hofstra ends non-conference play 6-5, and will now return to Hempstead to start conference play this weekend with a pair of matches at home versus undefeated Towson University on Saturday, Sept. 18.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
