TOWSON, Md. – Hofstra University rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Towson University volleyball on Friday afternoon in SECU Arena. Freshman Stephanie Massanet posted a career-high 13 kills while hitting .480 to lead the Tigers in a hard-fought battle.
The Tigers and Pride battled early in the first set before back-to-back points gave Hofstra a 9-7 lead. A kill from Massanet started a 4-0 run for the home team and gave Towson an 11-9 lead in the set. A kill from the Pride briefly halted the Tiger run before Towson scored nine of the next 12 points. That stretch gave Towson a 21-13 lead in the set and forced a Hofstra timeout. Hofstra got a kill from Kelsie Wills coming out of the timeout, which made it 21-14. However, the Tigers responded with another kill from Massanet, her second of the set. Three straight attack errors by the Pride, gave Towson a 25-14 win in the set.
In the second set, the Tigers scored 10 of the first 16 points to open up an early advantage. Towson extended its advantage to 14-9, on a Hofstra service error. The Tigers (6-14, 0-2 CAA) pushed their lead to 20-18 on a kill from Massanet. Hofstra (11-6, 2-1 CAA) got a kill from Emily Burke on the next play. Burke's kill started a 7-1 run by the Pride to close out the set and gave the visitors a 25-21 victory. Hofstra's win tied the match at 1-1.
Hofstra took an 8-4 lead in the third set, only to see the Tigers battle back and tie the set at 8-8 on a service ace from junior Saitaua Iosia. A kill from Massanet pushed the Towson advantage to 14-10. A big kill from sophomore Candace Steadman extended the Tiger lead to 18-14. The kill from Steadman jump started a 7-1 run by the Tigers and gave the home team a 24-15 advantage. Hofstra recorded three straight kills to make it 24-18, before the Tigers closed out the set on a kill from sophomore Haley Pa'akaula. Towson took a 2-1 lead in the contest, thanks to the 25-18 victory in the third set.
The fourth set was by far the most tightly contested of the match. The two squads battled through 15 ties and seven lead changes. The two sides battled back and forth as Hofstra took a 24-22 advantage on a Hannah Klemm service ace. Towson used a kill from Iosia and a Hofstra attack error to tie the set at 24-24. Towson took a 25-24 advantage on a kill from Iosia. Hofstra continued to battle and used a block and a pair of kills to earn a 27-25 set victory. That tied the match at 2-2 and forced a fifth and deciding set.
Hofstra came out hot to start the fifth set as a service ace from Sara Campolina gave the visitors an 8-2 lead. An attack error by the Tigers pushed the Pride advantage to 12-3. Hofstra secured a 15-5 victory in the set and the match on a kill from Nuria Lopes da Silva.
In addition to Massanet's career-high kills, the Tigers got a “double-double” performance from Iosia. She had a team-high 14 kills and 11 digs for her sixth “double-double” of the year. Junior Casey Giovanazzi dished out a season-high 23 assists while fellow junior Aimee Schubert contributed 18 assists. Junior Paige Sekerak led the defensive efforts with 14 digs.
Wills led Hofstra with 22 kills and 11 digs while Lopes da Silva finished with 14 kills and six blocks.
Towson returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 5 when the Tigers host Northeastern at 5 p.m.
