Towson, MD -
Beatriz Braga was held to seven kills on .160 hitting as she closes in on 1,000 career kills, but the Hofstra University volleyball team didn't need its star to carry the load, sweeping Towson University, 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-19), on Friday night at SECU Arena as the CAA postseason picture continued to take shape.
Hofstra's (17-4, 12-1 CAA) last four wins over Towson (14-9, 7-6 CAA) had all needed five sets, but Friday's victory was the Pride's first sweep of the Tigers in Towson since Sept. 24, 2018.
With Braga nine kills shy of 1,000, the contributions came from across the lineup.
Constanza Perez Sain led all players with 11 kills on .391 hitting and chipped in two blocks for a match-high 12 points.
Dawn Pena, playing in her home state of Maryland, and
Julia Amorim each put down six kills in a balanced attack. Pena hit .417, while Amorim was a force at the net with six blocks, four of them solo, and finished with 11 points.
Melis Basaran came one kill shy of her first collegiate double-double with nine kills on .421 hitting and a match-high 11 digs.
As a team, Hofstra hit .353 and topped .300 in all three sets. The Pride's 10 attack errors matched their season low, set twice before (Sept. 18 vs. Hampton and Oct. 2 vs. Campbell), while Towson committed nearly twice as many (19) and hit just .130.
Ellie Pamatat dished out 21 assists to
Sonja Rundcrantz's 16.
Lauren Konzen and Pamatat each had eight digs.
The first set featured eight ties, the last at 10-10, before Hofstra pulled away. The Pride closed the set on a 15-4 run, with Perez Sain recording six of her 11 kills in the opening frame. Amorim added two blocks during the stretch, and a Towson attack error sealed the 25-14 win.
In the second set, Hofstra broke a 5-5 tie with an 8-1 run to open up a 13-6 lead. Konzen served six straight points during the run, including an ace, and Amorim came up with a pair of blocks. The Pride hit .394 in the set, their best of the night, and Braga's kill ended it at 25-16.
Towson made Hofstra work in the third set. The Tigers jumped to a 4-1 lead, the Pride's largest deficit of the night, and the set featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Hofstra was clinging to a 21-19 lead when
Brooke Wilson came in to serve and never gave the serve back. Basaran put down back-to-back kills, Perez Sain followed with one of her own, and
Valentina Lopez Moya and Perez Sain teamed up on a block for match point, giving Hofstra four straight points to close out the sweep.
Hofstra and Towson wrap up the series Saturday (Nov. 7) at 3 p.m. on FloCollege.
NOTES
- Hofstra is aiming for its first season sweep of Towson since 2013.
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Constanza Perez Sain recorded double-digit kills in back-to-back matches for the fifth time this season and the first time since Oct. 9.
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Ellie Pamatat has recorded 20 or more assists in eight consecutive starts.
- Hofstra's .353 hitting percentage was its second-best of the season, trailing only its .379 mark against Hampton on Sept. 19.
