Hempstead, NY – Junior outside hitter and Tournament MVP Kelsie Wills had a match-high 16 kills and a .577 attack percentage, while senior middle blocker and fellow All-Tournament selection Sara Campolina added nine kills, four assists, three digs and three blocks to lead the Hofstra Volleyball team to a sweep of Siena (25-16, 25-21, 25-21) on Saturday evening in the final match of the Hofstra Asics Invitational at the Mack Physical Education Building.
The win was Hofstra's fourth straight to open the 2013 campaign as Hofstra has now started at least 4-0 in each of the last three seasons. In addition, it is the first time since the 1989 Hofstra team began the year 6-0 (all in sweeps) that Hofstra has started 4-0 with all four wins in sweeps. Siena fell to 1-1 with the loss.
Wills was impressive in the match as her 16 kills came on 26 attempts and she committed just one error. She also added four digs and a block. Junior outside hitter Emily Burke chipped in with nine kills, two digs and two blocks for Hofstra, while sophomore setter Kaitlyn Krause added 16 assists, seven digs, two assists and two kills.
Hofstra got off to a hot start in the contest as the Pride hit at a robust .469 in the opening stanza, slamming down 18 kills on 32 attempts with only three errors. The set was tied at 12 before Hofstra went on a 8-1 run, including three kills from Wills, to take control as they went on to win the first set 25-16.
Siena battled back from an early 4-1 hole in the second set and led 18-17 after a service ace from Rachel Stoklosa. Hofstra rallied, though, and the Pride scored three straight points to lead 20-18 on their way to the four-point win. Krause ended the set with her lone service ace of the match.
The final set was another tight one as back-to-back errors by the Pride allowed Siena to knot the score at 17. A kill from Burke would put Hofstra back in front and she and Campolina would add additional kills during a quick 4-0 spurt that made it 22-18 in favor of the Pride. The Saints would only get within two the rest of the way as Hofstra continued its strong start to the season with its fourth straight sweep.
Freshman setter Hannah Klemm led Hofstra with 20 assists in the match and also added three digs, while freshman libero Sophia Black tied Krause for team-high honors with seven digs. Freshman middle blocker Veronika Kostova had a match-high six blocks to go along with her six kills.
Meghann Wright, the Saints all-tournament honoree, had 13 kills and eight digs to lead Siena in both categories. Stoklosa added nine kills and seven digs.
Hofstra returns to action when it heads to the Harvard Invitational next weekend. The Pride will face Holy Cross (1 p.m.) and Harvard (7 p.m.) on September 7.
