Match featured 37 ties and 13 lead changes
Hempstead, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's volleyball team rallied late, but fell just short against Long Island rival, Hofstra, on Tuesday night, losing the tightly contested match, 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 21-25, 15-13). Senior Lindsey Gordon (N. Patchogue, N.Y.) and junior Ashley Headen (Alexandria, Va.) paced the Seawolves offense with double digit kills and .542 and .414 attack percentages, respectively. With the loss, Stony Brook drops to 1-7 on the season while Hofstra improves to 1-6.
The opening game set the tone for the night as the two teams exchanged leads five times while tying the score on 15 different occasions. Stony Brook managed to grab some breathing room at 13-10 on a ball handling error by Hofstra. The lead would not last long, however, as the Pride scored five of the next six points to move ahead 15-14. With the score knotted at 21-21, Hofstra rallied off four straight points, capped by Marina Markovic's fourth kill of the set, to pull away with a 25-21 win.
Behind three early kills from Headen, SBU opened a lead on the Pride in the second set at 7-3. While Hofstra did battle back to pull within two, back-to-back aces from junior Jeanette Gibbs (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) extended the Seawolves advantage to five at 13-8. Stony Brook maintained its lead throughout most of the match before Hofstra used a 7-3 run to knot the score at 22-22. The two teams traded points before freshman Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.) and senior Harmonie Calinda (Huntington, N.Y.) had consecutive kills to win the match for the Seawolves, 26-24. Stony Brook posted a .410 attack percentage in the set as both Headen and Gordon hit .700 or better.
The opening game set the tone for the night as the two teams exchanged leads five times while tying the score on 15 different occasions. Stony Brook managed to grab some breathing room at 13-10 on a ball handling error by Hofstra. The lead would not last long, however, as the Pride scored five of the next six points to move ahead 15-14. With the score knotted at 21-21, Hofstra rallied off four straight points, capped by Marina Markovic's fourth kill of the set, to pull away with a 25-21 win.
Behind three early kills from Headen, SBU opened a lead on the Pride in the second set at 7-3. While Hofstra did battle back to pull within two, back-to-back aces from junior Jeanette Gibbs (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) extended the Seawolves advantage to five at 13-8. Stony Brook maintained its lead throughout most of the match before Hofstra used a 7-3 run to knot the score at 22-22. The two teams traded points before freshman Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.) and senior Harmonie Calinda (Huntington, N.Y.) had consecutive kills to win the match for the Seawolves, 26-24. Stony Brook posted a .410 attack percentage in the set as both Headen and Gordon hit .700 or better.
Following a kill by senior Lisa Doremus (Glendale, Ariz.), which gave the Seawolves an 11-10 advantage in the third set, Hofstra went on a 10-1 run to put Stony Brook in an eight point hole. Despite three kills each from Calinda and Gordon, Stony Brook failed to get any closer than six points as the Pride cruised a 2-1 set advantage.
The Seawolves rebounded quickly, however, as they opened an 11-7 lead on a kill by Strenger in the fourth. SBU maintained its lead to 17-13 before the Pride rallied, eventually knotting the score at 17-17 on an ace by Rachel August. The Seawolves closed the match out on an 8-4 run, however, which included three kills from Calinda, to push the match to a deciding fifth set.
Hofstra came out hot in the fifth, opening up a 5-2 advantage on the Seawolves. Stony Brook refused to fold, however, as it slowly chipped away at the lead. The Seawolves would eventually tie the score at 10-10 on a block by Headen and sophomore Kelsey Sullivan (Hamilton, Va.). The two would combine for another block three points later to put the Seawolves on top, 12-11. The two teams traded points before Hofstra strung three straight kills together to hold onto the 15-13 win.
In total, the match featured 13 lead changes and 37 ties. Calinda finished with a team high 18 kills while Gibbs recorded 25 total digs.
Stony Brook's next match will be Friday morning at the Columbia Invitational. The Seawolves will play at 11:30 a.m. against Quinnipiac and then play at 4:30 p.m. against Iona.
The Seawolves rebounded quickly, however, as they opened an 11-7 lead on a kill by Strenger in the fourth. SBU maintained its lead to 17-13 before the Pride rallied, eventually knotting the score at 17-17 on an ace by Rachel August. The Seawolves closed the match out on an 8-4 run, however, which included three kills from Calinda, to push the match to a deciding fifth set.
Hofstra came out hot in the fifth, opening up a 5-2 advantage on the Seawolves. Stony Brook refused to fold, however, as it slowly chipped away at the lead. The Seawolves would eventually tie the score at 10-10 on a block by Headen and sophomore Kelsey Sullivan (Hamilton, Va.). The two would combine for another block three points later to put the Seawolves on top, 12-11. The two teams traded points before Hofstra strung three straight kills together to hold onto the 15-13 win.
In total, the match featured 13 lead changes and 37 ties. Calinda finished with a team high 18 kills while Gibbs recorded 25 total digs.
Stony Brook's next match will be Friday morning at the Columbia Invitational. The Seawolves will play at 11:30 a.m. against Quinnipiac and then play at 4:30 p.m. against Iona.
