Wilmington, NC - With its backs pitted against the wall, the Hofstra University volleyball team overcame an 11-4 fifth-set deficit and five consecutive match point situations to prevail in a startling 3-2 finish (25-22, 25-20, 18-25, 21-25, 16-14) against UNC Wilmington Friday night at Hanover Hall.
As both teams entered tonight's action riding unbeaten streaks, the win for the Pride (12-3, 7-0 CAA) snapped a three-match winning streak for the Seahawks (8-9, 3-2 CAA) and pushed the Blue and Gold's winning streak to eight straight.
Hofstra still remains tied atop the CAA standings with Charleston, following the Cougars' 3-0 dispatching of Hampton earlier in the evening.
It is the Pride's second five-set victory of the year (Army West Point, Sept. 12) and the first on the road in 2026. Hofstra previously lost in five sets at Yale back on Sept. 4.
While Hofstra played from behind for almost the entire fifth set, it was the play of
Constanza Perez Sain that carried the Pride out of the jaws of defeat.
Perez Sain not only accounted for all of the last six points in that improbable stretch, but finished the match with a career-high 22 kills, previously surpassing her prior career-high of 19 against Yale (Sept. 4) and Army West Point (Sept. 12).
For efficiency's sake, Perez Sain found open space on the floor in six of her seven swings from the right side, upon rallying from that gaping 14-9 deficit. In the fifth set alone, Perez Sain had eight kills and only one error on 17 total attempts, translating to a .412 success clip.
She matches her teammate
Beatriz Braga for the most kills in a single match for Hofstra this season.
In addition to her .340 attack percentage, Perez Sain was one of four Pride players in double figures.
Melis Basaran tied a season-high with her 11 kills off the bench, while Braga and
Julia Amorim tallied 10 kills apiece.
Ellie Pamatat had 33 assists and 17 digs for a double-double.
With the euphoria of that match in their back pocket, the Pride will go for the season sweep of UNC Wilmington on Saturday (Oct. 10) at 2 p.m.
NOTES
- Hofstra improved to 38-7 all-time against UNCW. The Pride has won twelve consecutive matches in the series, with the streak first commencing in 2018.
- It was the first five-setter between Hofstra and UNCW since 2019, when the Pride won in five sets in Wilmington.
- Hofstra has won nine consecutive CAA road matches dating back to last September (lost 3-2 at Charleston on Sept. 27, 2025).
- Pamatat's double-double was her third of the season and her second in as many matches. Her 33 assists were the second-most this year for the junior (39 vs. Army West Point, Sept. 12).
- Amorim tallied double-digit kills in a second-straight appearance. It is the first time in her collegiate career that she accomplished such a feat.
