THE BASICS:

RESULT: Albany 3, Hartford 0
SET 1: Albany 26, Hartford 24
SET 2: Albany 25, Hartford 14
SET 3: Albany 25, Hartford 18
RECORDS: Hartford (0-23, 0-8 America East); Albany (12-8, 7-1 America East)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD: 
Paulina Modestow delivered 13 kills, but Albany posted a 3-0 victory over the University of Hartford volleyball team on Friday night in West Hartford. Laini Leidecker led all players with 14 kills for the Great Danes, while Nicole Otero (15) and Gabrielle Hansen (13) each finished with double-digit digs in the win. Astrid Mangual delivered 28 assists and eight digs in a losing effort for the Hawks.

SET ONE:
The Hawks came out rolling thanks to strong service from Erinn Lavelle, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the opening stanza. Modestow was rolling, delivering three kills in that period along with two Lavelle aces. But Albany refused to give, slowly chipping away at the lead. Still, the Hawks were able to hold a lead all the way to 22-18 before the Great Danes ran off five straight for a 23-22 advantage. Hartford and Albany went back-and-forth to 24-24 before the visitors posted the final two points to take the set. The Great Danes hit .324 in the first with four of their six errors coming on Hawk blocks.

SET TWO:
In the second, the two squads came out even, battling to a 4-4 score. The Great Danes seized momentum with three straight points for a 7-4 advantage, but the Hawks came right back, battling their way to an 11-9 deficit midway through the set. After the Great Danes made it 12-9, the Hawks ran off four straight, the last on a kill by Modestow to make it 13-12 before Albany pushed back to a 14-all tie. From then on the Great Danes grabbed control, posting the 25-14 win.

SET THREE:
The third began with the two teams coming out even, matching each other to a 4-4 tie once again. The Great Danes were able to tally a slight edge at 9-6, but the Hawks battled back, with a pair of Katy Henchy kills helping the home squad tie the set at 10-10. But Albany roared back with seven of the next eight points to build a 17-11 edge. The Hawks rallied with three points in a row, the final one on a Rachel Moll ace, to make it 17-14, but that was as close as they would get as the visitors finished off a 25-18 victory.

UP NEXT: 
The Hawks return to the Hartford Volleyball Gym against Binghamton on Sunday, Nov. 1, for the final home conference contest of the season. It will be Senior Day, as the Hawks will honor seniors Erinn Lavelle and Kathryn Gawrych prior to the contest.