Hempstead, NY - It was an impressive start to Colonial Athletic Association play for the Hofstra volleyball team as the Pride defeated Towson in five sets, ending a slew of win streaks by the Tigers in the process. 

Graduate student Ana Martinovic had a match-high 16 kills and added 14 digs for the Pride, while freshman Beatriz Alves had 36 assists and nine digs, freshman Chiara Cucco posted 26 digs, and junior Sarah Pierre notched a career-high 12 blocks. 

Set scores were 9-25, 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, and 15-12. 

The win ended multiple long win streaks for Towson, which has won the last two CAA championships. The Tigers entered the match with the nation's longest win streak at 12 matches and had won 23 straight CAA matches dating back to 2018. Hofstra's win also snapped a 36-match regular season winning streak for Towson, dating back to Sept. 13, 2019.

Hofstra improved to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in league action, while Towson slipped to 12-1 and 0-1 in conference action. 

Towson took the early lead in the contest with a commanding win in the first set. Hofstra responded, though, and would take the next two sets by identical scores to earn the 2-1 lead in the match. The Pride's defense stepped up in those two sets as they held Towson to an .057 hitting percentage in the second set followed by a .083 attack percentage in the third set to put them on the precipice of earning the win. Towson rallied with a strong offensive showing in the fourth set to send the match to a decisive fifth and final set. 

It was all Hofstra early on in the final set as the Pride jumped out to a 7-0 lead that included two service aces from Alves. The Pride still led 11-3 following a kill from junior Athina Dimitriadis before Towson mounted a comeback. The Tigers closed the gap to two, 14-12, with Hofstra having multiple match points before a block from Pierre and freshman Florencia Wolkowyski ended the match and gave the Pride the huge early season victory. 

Wolkowyski finished with 12 kills for the Pride, which also got eight kills and four blocks from Dimitriadis. 

Fay Bakodimou had 12 kills and 12 digs for Towson, which also got 10 kills and 13 digs from Emily Jarome. 

These same two teams will meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. to close the first weekend of conference play. 

NOTES
- Hofstra is 45-19 all-time against Towson. This marked the first meeting between the teams since 2019 as they didn't meet in the condensed spring 2021 campaign. 
- Pierre's previous career-high of 11 blocks came at Colgate on September 11, 2021. 
- The double-double was Martinovic's team-leading fourth of the season.
- Hofstra improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this season.