STORRS, Conn. – The University of Hartford volleyball team dropped its only midweek match at UConn on Tuesday night falling in three sets (21-25, 12-25, 17-25). The Hawks (1-4 overall) were led by senior outside hitter Dionna Kirton who finished with seven kills.

Following Kirton in leading the team was classmate Lindsay Anderson who finished with six kills, while leading the teams hitting efforts with a .385 average. She suffered just one error in 13 total attempts. As a team, the Hawks finished with 29 kills and 28 errors in 112 attempts.

Defensively the Hawks were led by freshman libero Paola Llerandi who finished with 11 digs. Her classmate, Corinne Horanzy, added nine digs while Kirton and setter Jackie Tamburri each finished with eight digs. Tamburri finished the match with 19 assists in the Hawks 29 total kills.

The Huskies took the opening set despite Kirton keeping it close with a pair of kills that pulled the Hawks within one, 19-18. UConn responded by rattling off six of the next seven points to gain set point before a Lindsay Anderson kill broke the momentum. A Hartford ball handling error sealed the first set in favor of the host Huskies 25-21. Anderson and Kirton led Hartford in the opening set with three kills each.

UConn extended their match lead to 2-0 heading into the extended intermission with a 25-12 victory in the second set. Overall, the Hawks struggled to find a rhythm in the second set, finishing with nine kills and 10 errors in 33 attempts.

The Hawks came out of the break by taking three of the first four points and their first advantage of the night. Hartford hold that lead until a three-point run for the Huskies resulted in a 9-7 lead change. The Hawks would keep it close through the next five points thanks to a block from Anderson and a kill from Kirton. The Huskies responded by scoring six of the next seven point to pull ahead for good.

Hartford returns to the court this weekend when they travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for three matches in the Volley in the Valley hosted by Marist. The Hawks will open the weekend facing the newest member of their league the UMass Lowell River Hawks at 4 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday the Hawks begin with a 12:30 p.m. match against the host Marist Red Foxes before taking on Dartmouth at 3:30 p.m. to close out the two-day event.