Hofstra leaves the Fairfield Inn and Suites Cavalier Classic with a pair of Saturday losses to fall to 0-3 on the season. In game one of Saturday’s double-header, the Pride fell to Villanova in five sets. Hofstra fell into two big holes in the first two sets, as the Wildcats took the first two sets 25-23 & 25-21. However, the Pride bounced back and fought off Villanova by winning the next two sets 25-17 to bring the match to five sets. In the final set, it was all tied up at 12 until the Wildcats scored three straight points to walk away on top, 15-12.
Hofstra held an advantage over Villanova in most categories, having more kills (74-46), better hitting percentage (.215-.163), more blocks (10-8), and assists (66-45).
In the match, freshman Ivania Ortiz shined with 27 kills and two aces while the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Laura Masciullo had 22 kills. This marks the first time since 2012 that a pair of Hofstra teammates tallied more than 20 kills. The last to do it was Nikki Kinnier and Kelsie Wills with 21 kills against William & Mary.
Luisa Sydlik had 58 assists in the match, which is the most assists by a Hofstra player since Hannah Klemm had 58 against the College of Charleston in 2015. Hofstra is 4-3 all-time against Villanova. Caylie Denham and Nanishka Perez combined for 41 digs in the match.
Later that day, Hofstra fell to Liberty in four sets. This marks the first time these two teams have played each other in the sport of volleyball.
After losing traction and falling in the first set 25-19, the Pride bounced back winning the next one 25-23. The following set went into “overtime,” where the score was tied at 26 before the Flames scored the final two points to take it 28-26. Liberty was able to break free to take the final set 25-20 to end the match.
Freshman Emma Price shined with her second match in double-digits kills, getting a match-high 16 kills. Laura Masciullo’s ten kills marks the fifth straight match in which she had kills in the double-digits dating back to last season. Luisa Sydlik had 48 assists, which is her second-straight match with over 40 assists.
In the match, the Pride had more kills (59-51) and assists (53-48) while the Flames had a better hitting percentage (.239-.196), aces (6-3), and blocks (14.5-7).
Coming up this weekend, Hofstra will be heading to the George Washington Invitational. The Pride take on LIU Brooklyn at 4:30 p.m. on Friday while facing Indiana and host George Washington on day two at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.