West Point, NY – Junior Leticia Valente posted 17 kills and eight blocks, while senior Veronika Kostova added 16 kills and a .789 hitting percentage to lead the Hofstra Volleyball team to a four-set win over CSU Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon at the Black Knights Invitational at Army West Point. 

Set scores were 21-25, 25-12, 25-15 and 25-17 in favor of the Pride. 

Hofstra improves to 2-0 with the win, while CSU Bakersfield falls to 1-2 with the loss. 

The Pride was hitting on all cylinders offensively in the match as they hit at a .440 clip, including an incredible .826 attack percentage in the second set and a .583 hitting percentage in the third set. 

Kostova wasn't the only one with a high attack percentage in the contest as sophomore Michela Rucli hit at a .667 clip (six kills), freshman Laura Masciullo hit .524 (12 kills) and Valente hit at a .419 attack percentage. 

After allowing the Roadrunners to win the first set, Hofstra clamped down and the defensive gradually improved, including holding CSU Bakersfield to a negative attack percentage in the fourth and final set. 

Rucli tied for team-high honors with eight blocks for Hofstra, while senior Hannah Klemm notched 47 assists in the match. Sophomore Luisa Domingues had 23 digs for the Pride and sophomore Nanishka Perez added 10 kills in the win. 

Sophie Flemion had eight digs and six kills for CSU Bakersfield. 

Hofstra will conclude play at the Black Knights Invitational with a 7 p.m. match against the host, Army West Point. 

NOTES
 - Hofstra has won its first two matches of the season for the fifth consecutive year. 
- Today marked the first-ever meeting between Hofstra and CSU Bakersfield. 
- The win marked the first time since last September 27 that Hofstra had lost the opening set and rallied to win a match – that came in five-set win over Elon.