BOX SCORE vs. PROVIDENCE
BOX SCORE vs. COPPIN STATE
Niagara University, NY – Freshman outside hitter, Kami Nethersole proved she is ready for college volleyball, leading the Hawks to a 3-1 (28-26, 25-22, 21-25, 25-14) season opening victory over the Providence Friars and a 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-12) win over Coppin State at the Niagara Invitational on Saturday. The Hawks will take on the host Purple eagles on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. to close out the tournament.
“Overall, I'm pleased with the team's performance today,” said head coach Don Ferguson. “Our upperclassmen are demonstrating excellent leadership and we received contributions from everyone. These matches were an excellent opportunity to see what areas we need to improve in to help foster our growth.”
In her first collegiate action, Nethersole led the team in kills (13) and hitting percentage (.290) against Providence. She finished with just four errors in 31 total attempts. Finishing just behind her was senior middle and opposite side hitter Erin Macro who compiled 12 kills and sported a .269 attack percentage.
In its first sets out of the gate in 2009, Hartford hit .132 and .222 respectively with Maddison Molyneux and Macro leading the team in the first set and Nethersole and Hallie Fullagar leading the way in set two, all finishing with three kills.
Despite the loss in set three, Nethersole led the way with a match-best of five kills, hitting .500 for the match with only one error in eight attempts. In the final set, the Hawks rebound to hit a match-high .357 with 12 total kills and two errors in 28 total attempts. Leading the way in the third set was Macro who finished flawless with six kills and no errors in 10 attempts for a .600 attack percentage.
Lindsay Ford opened her junior campaign with a match-high 35 assists, while sophomore Danielle Etta led the team in digs with a career-high 19. Etta also keeps alive a six-match streak with double digit digs dating back to October 31, 2008.
In the second match of the day, Macro led the Hawks with 10 kills for her second-straight match with double digit kills. She also added three aces and two solo blocks. Nethersole and Fullagar also hit well finishing with seven and six kills, respectively. Ford added 27 assists to lead the team, while Etta again led the Hawks in digs with 15.
The Hawks will conclude play in the 2009 Niagara Invitational today with a 1:00 p.m. showdown on Sunday against the host Purple Eagles.
