Hempstead, NY - Izadora Stedile had 18 kills and 15 digs and Clara Bal tallied 16 kills, but it wasn't enough as the Hofstra volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to Towson on Sunday afternoon at the David S. Mack Physical Education Building. Beatriz Alves had a career-high 57 assists in the match for the Pride. 

The five-set match lasted two hours and 53 minutes between two of the top teams in the CAA.

Hofstra fell to 13-4 and 3-3 in the league with the loss. Towson upped its record to 12-4 and 5-1 in conference action. Set scores were 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, and 9-15. 

The Tigers won the first set as they hit at a .414 clip to open the match. The Pride would take the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match. It was the Pride's offense that gave them the lead as Hofstra hit .424 in the second stanza and followed that up with a .447 hitting percentage in the third set. Towson rallied back, though, and won a narrow fourth set before earning the win in the decisive fifth and final stanza. 

Alves added eight digs and four kills, while Nil Kayaalp posted a season-best 22 digs at the libero position. Beatriz Braga added 14 kills and 12 digs, while Sarah Pierre and Emilly Nunes each had seven kills. 

Nina Cajic had 20 kills and eight digs for Towson, which also got 17 kills and 15 digs from Victoria Barrett. 

Hofstra heads back on the road next week when it travels to North Carolina A&T next Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's match will start at 12 p.m. and Sunday will begin at 1 p.m. 

NOTES
- Hofstra leads the all-time series with Towson, 46-23. 
- Alves previously had a career-best of 56 assists versus Northeastern on November 6, 2022. 
- Kayaalp previously had 21 digs versus Seton Hall on September 9, 2023.