BOX SCORE
BOX SCORE
New Britain, CT ? The University of Hartford volleyball team split its two matches at the CCSU Invitational on Saturday. The Hawks opened the day with a three-game loss to the host Blue Devils and then needed five games before defeating the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the night cap. Hartford improved to 5-5 overall this season with the days action. The Hawks were led throughout the tournament by setter Sarah Rasor who was named to the All-Tournament team, the second honor of its kind for the junior this season.
Senior Teri Connolly was the Hawks leader in the final match of the night against the Bobcats. Connolly began the match with a 10-0 run while serving. During that run she sported three seervice aces, while Jennifer Monroy recorded a pair of saves. The game was decided from the start with the early run, the Bobcats would get no closer than a 10-4 lead. Hartford would open their lead to as much as 18 on an ace from Monroy. Connolly finished things off in the first game with a kill, her third for that game.
The Bobcats regrouped and kept it close throughout the second game. Hartford was able to pull away, 26-20 in the later parts of the game. Quinnipiac wasn't going to let it slip away pulling off two runs of four and five points respectively. Quinnipiac would take home the victory in the second game 32-30 on a kill from Crista Valentino.
The third game started similar to the first with the Hawks pulling out to an early 5-0 lead, all while Connolly served. The Hawks continued to pull away throughout the game to as puch as an 18 points lead. Connolly came through again, this time on only her second time through the rotation, with an eight point run which began with a pair of service aces.
In the fourth game the Bobcats came out firing to take an 18-9 lead, all made possible with an eight point run loaded with Hartford errors. The hawks battled back with runs of three and four, to eventually tie the game at 28 on a ball handling error on the Bobcats. Hartford wouldn't be so lucky in the end with Quinnipiac forcing a fifth and decifing game.
In the final game the teams traded points in the early going before Monroy served a seven point run. In the run the Hawks had kills from Maddison Molyneux, Ljiljana Zecevic and Erin Macro. The run, which put the Hawks up 10-3, wasn't going to discourage the Bobcats who pulled withing two at 13-11 before a Monroy kill put the Hawks one point away and a miscue for Quinnipiac closed the books.
Against the Blue Devils, Hartford fell short in the first game 30-22 before taking it down to the wire in the second game but falling short 30-27. Central Connecticut put the match in the books with a 30-22 victory in the final game.
The majority of the Hawks offense in the match came from Monroy and Zecevic. Monroy led the team with 12 kills and finished the match with a .132 hitting percentage. Zecevic finished as the only other player with double digits kills, dropping down 10. Rasor continued to lead the team's offense with 26 assists, while the defense was led by Zecevic. She finished the match with 20 digs, a career-high and her fifth game of the season with double digit kills.
The Hawks will return to the Sports Center to meet Quinnipiac on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. All Hartford home volleyball matches are open to the public, free of charge.
