Towson, MD – The 2022 season for the Hofstra volleyball team comes to a bitter conclusion as the second-seeded Pride fall, 3-2, in the CAA Championship Quarterfinals to seventh-seeded William & Mary at SECU Arena in Towson, Maryland.

Hofstra finishes the season with a 17-12 overall record. The Tribe advances to the semifinals with the win, putting them at 12-13 overall on the year. The set scores were 19-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-18, 15-12 for the Tribe.

Zyare Abdul-Rahim paced the Pride with 14 kills, while Sarah Pierre posted nine kills and five total blocks against the Tribe, and CAA Setter of the Year and All-CAA First Team honoree Beatriz Alves recorded 45 assists, nine digs, and seven kills. CAA Libero of the Year and All-CAA First Team selection Chiara Cucco led the Hofstra defense with 22 digs.

Facing a three-point deficit midway through the opening set, Hofstra battled back to tie the score at 13-13 before taking the lead twice more. An attack error by the Tribe at 15-15 helped spark a 9-2 run for the Pride, putting them ahead by seven at the tail end of the set before winning on a Tribe service error to take set one, 25-19. The Pride ended the set with a .214 attack percentage to William & Mary's .075 while forcing 10 errors.

The second set saw seven score ties and two lead changes before Abdul-Rahim and Izadora Stedile scored four straight points to put the Pride ahead, 12-9. Hofstra's lead grew to as large five points at several moments in the set, with the Pride hitting at a match-high clip of .389, as a service ace by Clara Bal put the Pride ahead two sets to none going into the third frame.

William & Mary took control of the momentum in the match with a 25-14 third set win. The Tribe scored five straight points to take an early 6-3 lead over the Pride. Hofstra kept the score close in the set with three kills by Abdul-Rahim, but a 9-1 run put the Tribe in front by 11 late in the set, and they scored five of the final seven points to extend the match to a fourth set.

The teams traded points to begin the fourth set, but Hofstra fell behind after William & Mary scored four straight points after an Emilly Nunes kill tied the set at 5-5. A Pierre kill briefly put Hofstra within three, but the Tribe went on a 5-0 run to lead by seven over the second-seeded Pride. Hofstra pulled to within six on two Stedile kills late, but a three-point run for the Tribe gave them the fourth set, pushing the quarterfinal match into the deciding fifth set,

With the score tied at 2-2 entering the fifth and final set, William & Mary pulled ahead of Hofstra and would not relinquish its lead. Hofstra pulled to within one of the Tribe twice with blocks by Pierre and Stedile to make the score 9-8, followed by a Stedile kill and a Tribe attack error to put the score at 11-10, but William & Mary scored four of the final six points in the set to win a thrilling match and keep their season alive.

The Tribe had three players finish with double-digit kills, led by 17 kills from Eleanor Stothoff. Emma Minnick dug out 17 Hofstra attacks, and Olivia Esposito ended the evening with seven of the team's eight total blocks.

NOTES:
-Today was just the second five-set match of the season for Hofstra.
-Hofstra's all-time record against William & Mary fell to 31-19, snapping a 16-match unbeaten streak against the Tribe.
-Beatriz Alves finished with 40+ assists in a match for the 10th time this season.
-Zyare Abdul-Rahim ends the year as the Pride's leading scorer with 308 kills.