BOX SCORE
West Hartford, CT ? The Hartford women's volleyball team won its second-straight match by a 3-0 score, defeating the Sacred Heart Pioneers in the second game of the day in the Hartford Hawks Invitational on Saturday. Hartford was led by Teri Connolly and Jennifer Monroy, both finishing with 15 kills. The Hawks will close out play in the Hartford Hawks Invitational with a 7:00 p.m. match tonight, against Holy Cross.
Hartford began the match in impressive fashion, opening the first game to an 11-3 lead on a pair of kills from Erin Macro and kills from Ljiljana Zecevic and Monroy. The Pioneers crept back into the game with runs on two, three and four points, to take a 24-22 lead on a kill from Annie Archer. The Hawks then tied the score at 26 and again at 29 before forcing the first game into extra points with Hartford winning 33-31 on a Pioneer attacking error.
The Pioneers kept it close throughout the second game never letting, with neither team leading by more than three points. A kill from Connolly using an set from Sarah Rasor knotted the score at 18. A Zecevic kill then gave Hartford a 25-24 advantage, but the Pioneers could manage only two more points allowing the Hawks to take the 2-0 match advantage with a score of 30-26 in the second game.
Hartford again opened the third game to an early lead, 15-9. A pair of kills from Connolly made the lead possible. Three-straight miscues for the Hawks allowed the Pioneers to pull within three 16-13 and eventually tie the game at 18 on a Macro attacking error. Hartford regrouped and used two runs of four to pull ahead 26-20. The Pioneers would again score only two of the final six points giving Hartford its second-straight match victory.
Monroy and Connolly led the team, the only two plaers to finished with double digit kills, each with 15. Connolly continued her hot hitting, this time posting an attack percentage of .367 (15k, 4e, 30ta). Rsor led the team with 37 assists, while also adding four kills and 12 digs. Defensively the Hawks were ld by Zecevic. She finished with 14 digs.
In the first game of the day, the Providence College Friars used four games to defeat the Holy Cross Crusaders. Providence was led by Aida Cadres and Jeanette Toney, each finishing with 11 kills. The Crusaders were led by Christine Strawson who finished with a tournament best 24 kills.
The final two matches of the tournament will see Sacred Heart and Providence meet at 4:00 p.m. and Holy Cross and Hartford will close the tournament at 7:00 p.m.
