THE BASICS:
RESULT: FGCU 3, Hartford 0
Set 1: FGCU 25, Hartford 8
Set 2: FGCU 25, Hartford 21
Set 3: FGCU 25, Hartford 18
RECORDS: Hartford (0-8), Florida Gulf Coast (5-2)
LOCATION: Mack Physical Education Center (West Hempstead, N.Y.)
THE LEAD: Katy Henchy led the Hartford volleyball team with eight kills, but a fast start by Florida Gulf Coast lifted the Eagles to a 3-0 victory on Friday at the Hofstra/Asics Invitational. Astrid Mangual delivered 19 assists and three service aces in a losing effort.

KALLICK'S TAKE:
"We started the match without as much urgency as we needed and got stuck in a few rotations," head coach Mitch Kallick said. "Afterwards, we showed a lot of fight and battled our way back into sets against a very skilled opponent. I think we definitely learned a lot about our team today and we're eager to put those lessons to use in our two matches tomorrow."

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN:
SET ONE:
The two teams came out even early in the opening set, with the Hawks scoring three straight points, the final one on a Katryna Gawrych ace, to garner an early 3-2 lead. The Eagles were able to rebound to take a 6-3 lead, but kills by Henchy and Paulina Modestow allowed Hartford to battle back to a 7-5 deficit. But FGCU came back with a surge, rolling off 18 of the next 21 points, the final blow on a solo block from Amanda Carroll, to take the first set 25-8.

SET TWO:
The Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second, but FGCU came back with a rally to take a 7-3 lead. The two teams then went back-and-forth to a 10-8 FGCU advantage after a Modestow kill, but the Eagles responded with five straight points to push the lead to 15-8. The teams traded points to a 20-12 score, and then the Hawks staged a rally. A Gawrych kill sent the momentum in Hartford's favor, and a pair of Mangual aces capped off the rally with the Hawks down just three at 23-20. FGCU was able to finish off the set, though, tallying two of the last three points to take it 25-21.

SET THREE:
The Eagles started strong in the third, opening up a 4-0 lead, but the Hawks came storming back, scoring eight of the next 10 points, with four different players registering kills during the span. FGCU came back to take a 9-8 lead, and then the teams went blow-for-blow, all the way to a 16-16 score. The Eagles were able to rally with four straight points to garner a 20-16 lead, but the Hawks were able to trim it to 21-18 after an FGCU service error. The Eagles finished off the match, though, posting two kills and two blocks in the final four points to take the set 25-18.

UP NEXT:
Hartford will finish off the Hofstra/Asics Invitational in West Hempstead, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon and evening. The Hawks will take on Princeton at 3 p.m. and host Hofstra on Saturday at 7:30 to wrap up the Invitational. Live stats and video (Hofstra match only) will be available on GoHofstra.com.