West Point, NY -
Beatriz Braga and
Clara Bal carried the Pride offensively with career nights as the Hofstra volleyball team won a five-set thriller over Army West Point on Friday evening at Gillis Field House in the team's first match at the Black Knights Invitational.
Braga slammed down a career-high 24 kills, while Bal tallied a career-best 22. Both players added double-doubles with each picking up 15 digs.
The Pride won by set scores of 23-25, 25-19, 31-29, 18-25, and 15-10. The win improved Hofstra's record to 3-4, while Army West Point dropped to an identical 3-4 mark.
The two-hour and 49-minute match would see the Pride rally after dropping the first set to earn a 2-1 lead after capturing a ridiculous 31-29 win in the third stanza. The home team knotted the score at two and sent the contest into the decisive fifth and final set.
In the fifth set, Hofstra faced an early 4-2 deficit before reeling off a 6-2 run to take an 8-6 lead heading into the media timeout. The contest would be tied at 10 with the outcome in the balance before Hofstra took over. An Army error made it 11-10 before Bal notched a kill and added a block on the next point to put the Pride up three. Hofstra was not to be denied, and Braga ended the match with her 24th kill of the contest.
Ellie Pamatat had the first double-double of her career with 52 assists and 13 digs, while
Izadora Stedile continued her outstanding season with 15 kills and 14 digs for her third double-double of the year.
Chiara Cucco picked up a match-best 25 digs.
Mackenzie Lynch had 18 kills and 16 digs for Army West Point, which also got 32 assists and 15 digs from Juliette Myrick.
Hofstra has two matches on the schedule tomorrow at the Black Knights Invitational as the Pride will face Bryant at 10 a.m. before closing tournament play against Sacred Heart at 6 p.m.
NOTES
- Hofstra moved to 7-3 all-time against Army West Point. This marked the first meeting since 2022.
- Braga's previous career-high of 15 kills came against Delaware State on August 26, 2023.
- Bal's previous career-high of 20 kills came against Northeastern on September 23, 2023.
- The match was Hofstra's first five-set contest of the year after playing seven in 2023.
