Volleyball gets back on track with win over William & Mary

The Hofstra volleyball team defeated the William & Mary Griffin in straight sets on Sunday, Sept. 29 by scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 26-24 to end their three-game losing streak and pick up their first win in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. 

Senior Laura Masciullo posted her second-straight game with double-digit kills, with a match-high 13. She is now third in the CAA in both kills and kills per set and is four kills shy of becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 1,500 kills.

Luisa Sydlik was also crucial for the Pride, recording her team-high seventh double-double of the season, tallying 38 assists and 10 digs. Sydlik now has double-digit assists in 78 consecutive games, and her 3,846 career assists are just 17 shy of fourth-place all-time.

The Pride hit the 40-assist mark for the 10th time this season, getting 42 helpers. Hofstra is second in the CAA in both assists and assists-per-game, led by Sydlik, who is first in both categories. 

Partially as a result of their passing, the Pride got to the 40-kill mark for the 10th time this season thanks to a 45-kill performance. The Pride are second in the CAA in both kills and kills-per-game, led by Masciullo, who is third in both of those categories. In all 10 games where the Pride have 40 or more kills, they have 40 or more assists to go along with it. 

Hofstra hit almost .300 for the match and had a .500 attack percentage in the second set. In that middle frame, the Pride racked up 15 kills on 24 attempts, with just three errors. For the match, Hofstra committed just 16 errors, tied for their second-fewest of the season.

The Pride went on two separate 6-1 runs, one to open the first set and another to gain the advantage after a 4-4 tie to open set number two. The third set was much closer, as Hofstra rallied from a 23-21 deficit to win 26-24 and close out the match. Freshmen Simge Korkmaz and Athina Dimitriadis provided kills in the closing, sweep-clinching run.

Junior Ana Martinovic also had 10 kills and eight digs for Hofstra, while Junior Juliana Vaz had a match-high 11 digs. For William & Mary, junior Kate Dedrick had a team-high 12 kills, while senior Autumn Brenner led the Griffin with 22 assists and added five digs.

Hofstra in now 28-18 all time against William & Mary and has beaten them 12 straight times.

The Pride return to action on Sunday, Oct. 6 when they travel to face the Towson Tigers for a 12 p.m. match.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics