THE BASICS:

RESULT: UMass Lowell 3, Hartford 2
SET 1: UML 25, Hartford 23
SET 2: Hartford 25, UML 9
SET 3: Hartford 25, UML 22
SET 4: UML 25, Hartford 22
SET 5: UML 15, Hartford 11
RECORDS: Hartford (0-18, 0-4 America East); UMass Lowell (4-15, 1-2)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)

THE LEAD: 
In its first home game in over a month, the Hartford volleyball team was edged in a nailbiter, 3-2, at the hands of UMass Lowell. Katy Henchy matched her season high with 15 kills and added a new career high with eight blocks, while Paulina Modestow finished with 14 kills and 10 digs. Haley Shimon led the attack for the River Hawks, posting a match-high 18 kills.

SET ONE:
In a set that featured five late ties, the Hawks came out of the gates on a roll, earning eight of the match's first 10 points. Fueling that early run were three kills, two of which came from Henchy. But UMass Lowell would slowly chip away, as it eventually tied up the score at 17-17. A shift in momentum saw the River Hawks take their first lead of the night at 20-18, but Hartford refused to go down easily as it would force two more ties. With the score locked at 22-22, Elima Ahzi and Adeniyi Lade provided back-to-back kills to make it a two-point edge for the River Hawks at 24-22. The Hawks got a point back on a service error, but Adeniyi delivered the final blow that pushed UMass Lowell past the Hawks in the opening set.   

SET TWO:
Rachel Moll and Asha Wafer each slammed a set-high three kills as the Hawks dominated UMass Lowell from start to finish and came out with a 25-9 win. Backed by a scorching .529 hit percentage, Hartford went errorless in 17 total attacks and finished off UMass Lowell by scoring the final five points of the set. The Hawks again benefited from a hot start that featured a pair of set-opening, 6-0 rallies that provided the home squad with a quick 12-1 lead.  

SET THREE:
Hartford never trailed in the third set, but UMass Lowell kept pace with the Hawks to start things off and mounted a comeback bid down the stretch to keep things interesting. With the score tilting in favor of Hartford at 11-9, the home squad used a 7-1 run to break the set open and take an 18-10 lead. The Hawks slammed four kills during that stretch, two of which were rifled by Henchy. The Hawks continued to charge, as they pushed ahead by a 22-15 count before the River Hawks started to gain momentum. UMass Lowell chipped away and closed the gap to 24-22, before Wafer's kill provided Hartford with the third-set victory.

SET FOUR:
The Hawks struggled to find their groove offensively in the fourth set, en route to a 25-22 setback. Henchy had six kills in the stanza, while Modestow added five. The Hawks held the edge early, but saw a 6-4 advantage turn into an 7-6 deficit. Hartford would never regain a lead in the set, despite coming back from a 16-13 disadvantage and tying up the score at 17-all. With the set tied at 20-20, the River Hawks used the strength of a 5-2 run to close out the set and force the decisive fifth set. Shimon had six kills for the River Hawks, who combined to hit .156 as a team.

SET FIVE:
Early in the fifth, the two teams came out even with the River Hawks holding an early 3-2 lead, but UML ran off three straight points to push the advantage to 6-2. They pushed that advantage to 11-5 before the Hawks rebounded, running off three straight, two on blocks by Henchy and Wenzel, to make it an 11-8 score. But the River Hawks were able to regain the momentum, earning a 15-11 victory and taking the match 3-2.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks return to the Hartford Volleyball Gym on Monday, Oct. 12, when they play host to Iona in a non-conference affair. Match time is set for 7 p.m. in West Hartford.