By Mike Rudin – SPORTS EDITOR Hofstra volleyball got off on the wrong foot at the Seton Hall Classic, suffering their second loss of the season against Temple University within four sets.
Based on team comparisons alone, the Temple Owls slightly edged Hofstra in points, kills, aces, assists and digs by only single-digit margins.
Nanishka Peraz (14), Leticia Valente (13), Veronika Kostova (13) and Michela Rucli (11) each reached double figures in kills that kept the match competitive.
Errors are always a critical element in the match but it showed here, Hofstra committed 21 attack errors but Temple did as well.
12 of the Pride attack errors came from Kostova alone, and with each of the four sets decided by three points, Hofstra could’ve made a difference if their attack efficiency improved.
Temple took back-to-back sets by a score of 25-22, then Hofstra flipped it in their favor and won 25-22 but Temple picked up where they left off, winning by 25-22 and finishing off the Pride. The slight but key differences in the match was that the Owls collected six more kills, four more assists, seven more digs and completed two solo blocks instead of committing two block errors when compared to Hofstra.
During the first set, the Owls led early on and boosted their lead by five points, Hofstra fought back to keep the set competitive but the Pride couldn’t maintain a successful rhythm to pull ahead, usually trailing.
Although the Pride went down 1-0 in the match, Hofstra came back strong early in the second set and led 10-5 at one point.
Yet soon afterwards, that started to fade, as Temple rallied back during a 7-1 stretch that proved to be the turning point within the set and ultimately support the Owls’ momentum in the match. The Pride fought back with a 5-1 streak but the Owls kept racking points until they secured the set and improved their lead to 2-0.
Third time was the charm for Hofstra once they pushed back with their 25-22 victory in the third set. Both teams were neck and neck for the longest time until Hofstra went in front with a three consecutive points, going up 20-16, and then again with a 3-1 rally that claimed the third set as their own.
The fourth set spelled out disappointment after Hofstra had a 6-2 lead, failed to maintain it and when the Pride rally back by the end with three straight points to cut down their five-point deficit to two, Temple delivers the final blow to win the set and match.
A couple of bright spots for Hofstra, Luisa Domingues led the defense with 18 digs and Nanishka Perez completed the match with 15 digs. Perez’s stellar numbers on both sides of the court granted her the first double-double in a Pride uniform.
A current overlook for the team, this Hofstra team is still experimenting how to use their players to their full potential and they’re working on team chemistry with such a new roster. Pieces are coming together but the whole picture still needs some work on building consistency, as Mansur mentioned after the home opener against Siena.
The next match will commence at 10:00 a.m. at Hofstra will go against Seton Hall University in round two of the Seton Hall Classic.