Philadelphia, PA - Junior
Luisa Sydlik tallied a career-best 66 assists and added 17 digs, while fellow junior
Laura Masciullo slammed down a match-high 23 kills as the Hofstra Volleyball team held on for a five-set win over Temple at the Hilton Penn's Landing Temple Invitational on Saturday evening.
The 66 assists were the most for a Pride player since Shellane Ogoshi had 67 against William & Mary on October 27, 2007.
The win, the Pride's second of the day, clinched second place in the tournament and improved Hofstra's record to 2-1. Temple fell to 1-2 with the loss.
Hofstra was in complete control of the match early, winning the first two sets in rather convincing fashion before Temple rallied. The Owls won the next two sets to send the contest to the decisive fifth set, but Hofstra prevailed as the Pride jumped out to leads of 5-1 and 10-3 and never looked back in earning the victory.
Senior
Michela Rucli added 13 kills and seven blocks for the Pride, while freshman
Maddie Appleton picked up 20 digs to become the first player on Hofstra this season to crack the 20-dig plateau in a match. Seniors
Nanishka Perez and
Doris Bogoje were also in double figures in kills with 12 and 11, respectively. Perez added 16 digs, while freshman
Aisha Skinner tallied nine kills, 10 digs and six blocks.
Temple was led by Katerina Papazaoglou's 14 kills and 13 digs. Hannah Vandegrift added 23 assists and 11 digs.
Hofstra is next in action for its home opener on Tuesday when the Pride entertains Long Island rival Stony Brook at 7 p.m. That match will take place at the
David S. Mack Fitness Center, not Hofstra's normal volleyball facility.
NOTES
- Hofstra is now 11-5 all-time against Temple. It was the Pride's first win over the Owls since a four-set win in 2013.
- Sydlik's previous career-high of 59 assists came against James Madison on October 9, 2017. Sydlik now has double-doubles in all three matches this season.
- Hofstra had a pair of all-tournament selections as Masciullo and Bogoje earned spots on the team.
