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West Hartford, Conn. – The Hartford volleyball team won its third five-set match of the season defeating the Bryant Bulldogs (23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 15-6) on Tuesday night at the Reich Family Pavilion. Hartford was led by sophomore utility hitter Sareeta Nethersole who finished with a match-high 20 kills.

Nethersole's 20 kills is the third time this season she has collected 20 or more kills and the first since September 1. She finished as one of three players in double figures with junior Lindsay Anderson second on the squad with a career-high 14. Dionna Kirton rounded out the leaders with 10 kills.

Anderson led Hartford with a .476 hitting percentage with just four errors in 21 total attacks. As a team, Hartford finished with a .272 average setting down 63 kills, compared to just 47 for the bulldogs, and hitting into 20 errors in 158 total swings. Sophomore Kathryn Gawrych finished without an error for the Hawks, amassing seven kills in 20 attempts. Fellow classmate Jackie Tamburri finished the match with 55 assists, a new season-best and the third time this season she has had 50 or more helpers.

Defensively, the Hawks had three players leading the way, two of which collected double doubles, Tamburri and Kirton with 18 and 15 digs, respectively. Kami Nethersole rounded out the top-three with 17 digs. Tamburri's team-high 18 digs is also a season high for the Croton-on-Hudson native. The Hawks also finished with five blocks with Kirton and Gawrych each scoring a pair of solo blocks apiece.

The teams started out the match trading the first 10 points back-and-forth before the visitors used a six point rally to open up a 14-7 lead, one they wouldn't relinquish. A Service error on the Hawks and back-to-back aces from Jordan Thornlow allowed Bryant to open up their largest lead of the set at 18-11.

The Hawks responded late in the set with a run of five out of six points that pulled them within one, 23-22, with (Kami) Nethersole starting that run off with back-to-back kills. A kill from (Sareeta) Nethersole pulled Hartford within one again at 24-23, but an error on the next play allowed for Bryant to take the early lead in the match.

The second set started much differently as Hartford scored the first two points of the match, one of which came on a kill from Gawrych. Bryant wasn't going to go away easily in the second set, forcing seven ties and four lead changes before all was final. Neither team managed more than a three point lead until the final moments when the Hawks mustered the last four points, beginning with a kills from Gawrych and ending with a set-point kill from Anderson to tie the match going into the intermission.

The third set saw a match-high 13 ties and seven lead changes before Bryant took a 2-1 advantage in the match. The Hawks used a pair of mini runs in the middle, opening up their largest lead on a dump from Tamburri that provided a 19-16 edge. With that same margin separating the competition at 22-19, Bryant began a run that spanned four points and allowed for the final lead change of the set. That run saw a pair of Hartford errors and two kills from Alexandria Clyburn, before Bryant put the set away with a kill from Claire Van Dyk.

The Hawks came out in a fury in the fourth set, opening up a 7-0 lead before the Bulldogs put a point on the board. The visitors would never recover from that early deficit, getting only as close as 12-9 on a four-point scurry. Following that run, the Hawks pulled away using a string of seven of the next eight points before, which included four-straight attack errors on the Bulldogs. A late four-point rally put the match out of reach, before an error on Jana Kmec sealed the fourth set and forced a deciding game.

After winning the coin toss and electing to take the first serve, the Hawks opened up the deciding set much the same as the fourth winning the first four points. The first three points came on Bulldog errors and the fourth on a dump from Tamburri.

Hartford quickly built the lead out of reach of their opponent, taking as much as a nine point advantage, matching that of the final outcome. Kirton provided the final kill, securing the Hawks victory heading into league play this weekend against reigning America East champion Albany. The Hawks and Great Danes are scheduled to open up conference play on Sunday in the capital city at 2:00 p.m.