Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University senior outside hitter Kelsie Wills had 16 digs to lead the Pride Volleyball team, but Sacred Heart rallied for a five-set win over Hofstra on Saturday evening in play at the Hofstra Invitational at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center. In the process Wills joined an exclusive group at Hofstra by reaching the 1,000-digs club.

Wills added 12 kills and six blocks to her total to have a solid all-around match in leading Hofstra.

In a career full of significant accomplishments, tonight's match was no different for Wills as the talented New Zealand native became only the sixth player in program history to have at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in their careers. She joins a list that includes Christine Moore (1983-87), Jen Furlow (1990-93), Lena Malinowski (1994-98), Stefanie Rewitz (1999-2002) and Tessa Sphar (2002-05). Wills has 1,587 kills to rank second all-time behind Malinowski (1,654) and her digs total is now at 1,012.

Hofstra falls to 9-2 with the loss, while Sacred Heart improves to 4-5 with the victory. Set scores were 25-23, 18-25, 16-25, 26-24 and 15-7 in favor of the visiting Pioneers.

Hofstra would drop its first set since August 30 when Sacred Heart captured the opening stanza in a close decision.

The Pride would gradually get on track as they battled back in the second set to earn a seven-point win. The defense was the major focus as the Pride held Sacred Heart to a .028 attack percentage.

Looking to take its first lead of the contest, Hofstra began to play well offensively in the third stanza with 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .417 attack percentage. That would allow Hofstra to dominate the set and capture a commanding nine-point win.

Sacred Heart would force the decisive fifth set in the match as they rallied to fight off a match point late in the fourth set and won it 26-24.

The visitors left no doubt in the final set, jumping out to an early 8-2 advantage en route to the eight-point win.

Senior middle blocker Adama Aja had six kills and a match-high 10 blocks for Hofstra, while fellow senior middle blocker Nuria Lopes da Silva totaled nine kills and seven blocks.

Tori Kemper led Sacred Heart with 15 kills and added 14 digs. Ana Gonzalez picked up 25 digs, while Sarah Krufka added 12 kills, seven digs and six blocks.

Hofstra returns to the court next weekend when it heads north to take part in the UConn Tournament. Hofstra will take on Bryant on Friday before facing Columbia and the host Huskies on Saturday.

Hofstra Invitational All-Tournament Team
Brennan Delsing, Fordham
Jacqueline Skeen, Siena
Nuria Lopes da Silva, Hofstra
Tori Kemper, Sacred Heart
Sarah Krufka, Sacred Heart (MVP)