BOX SCORE
New Britain, Conn. – The Hawks volleyball team dropped its final non-conference match of the season in five sets at in-state rival Central Connecticut State University (15-9 overall) on Wednesday afternoon. Despite the loss, freshman setter Jackie Tamburri became the third player in school history to pass 1,000 assists in a single season since the start of rally scoring.
The Hawks (11-14 overall) fell into a 0-2 hole heading into the third set, dropping the first by a 25-19 score and after the hitter heated up late in the second set fell by a 27-29 score. The Hawks would rally to force the deciding set with a 25-15 victory in the third set and a 25-19 triumph in the four set. After battling back and forth through the first 16 points, the Blue Devils rallied to win 15-9 in the decisive set.
The Hawks hitting spiked in the third and fourth set, finishing the two combined with 30 kills and just nine errors. The best hitting came in the third set as the Hawks finished with 15 kills and five errors in 32 total attacks for a .312 hitting average. For the match, Hartford hit .182 as a team, finishing with 67 total kills and 32 errors in 192 total swings.
Leading the Hawks hitters was junior outside hitter Kami Nethersole who finished with 19 kills and as one of four players with double figure kills. Nethersole finished the match hitting .214 with seven errors in 56 total attacks. Michelle Cordell and Sareeta Nethersole each finished with 15 points as Cordell led the top hitters with a .231 average, suffering six errors in 39 swings. Rounding out the leading hitters was sophomore Lindsay Anderson who finished with 12 kills.
Tamburri finished the match with 57 total assists, needing just 23 entering the day to pass the 1,000 assist plateau. Tamburri's 1,000th assist came on a kill from [Kami] Nethersole, which gave the Hawks a 22-21 advantage in the second set. She joins Danielle Scoggin who finished with 1,194 assists in 2002, and Brianne Paulson who finished with 1,089 in 2003. The rookie can now set her sights on the lead position in the top-five single season assists, needing 160 to tie Scoggin.
Defensively, [Sareeta] Nethersole and Tamburri each posted 20 dig performances, with each recording a double double. [Sareeta] Nethersole led all players in the match with 27 digs, a career-high for the freshman, which matches the season-high for all players set on September 13 by Dionna Kirton. Tamburri added 20 digs, while three others joined them in double figures; [Kami] Nethersole with 14 and Cordell and Taylor McCreery with 12 each. Cordell led the team with five total blocks, one solo block and four block assists.
Junior Emily Cochran led the Blue Devils and all hitters in the match with 23 kills, while her team struggled throughout the match, hitting .114 as a group with 56 kills and 33 errors in 201 total attacks.
The Hawks will return home for a Friday night match-up against America East rival Providence for what will be the final home conference match of the season. Prior to the match, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m., the Hawks will honor four senior members of the squad Lindsay Makowicki, Michelle Cordell, Sydney Scott and Danielle Etta.
