THE BASICS:

RESULT: Siena 3, Hartford 0
Set 1: Siena 25, Hartford 21
Set 2: Siena 25, Hartford 21
Set 3: Siena 25, Hartford 17
RECORDS: Hartford (0-4), Siena (2-4)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
THE LEAD: The University of Hartford volleyball team fell to Siena on Wednesday night at the Hartford Volleyball Gym, 3-0. Katy Henchy led the Hawks with nine kills in a losing effort, while Paola Llerandi posted 10 digs in the contest. Briana Flagg, the leading attacker for the Saints, delivered 15 kills in the victory. A season-high 618 fans were in attendance for the Hawks.

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN:

SET ONE:
A slow start on the offensive end proved to be detrimental for Hartford in the opening set, as it was never able to recover from an early deficit. Siena, which led the entire way, held a slight 5-4 edge over the Hawks before seven-straight points made it a 12-4 advantage for the visitors. Haley Howell served all seven points during that stretch, which included four Siena kills and a trio of Hartford errors. The Hawks didn't go down easily, though. Trailing 16-10, Hartford rallied to close the gap to two points at 18-16 before Siena used five unanswered points to boost its lead to 23-16. The Hawks held the Saints at match point and pulled within three before Annie Stock notched the kill to close out the set. Kathryn Gawrych, who hit .400, paced the Hawks with four kills and no errors in 10 attempts.

SET TWO:
The Hawks got out to a strong start, opening up a 6-2 lead, but the Saints were able to rally back on the strength of Flagg's attack. The junior delivered back-to-back kills to wrestle the lead back at 13-12, but a service error tied the score at 13 once more. Another kill by Flagg set the momentum back in Siena's favor, though, as the visitors notched the next three points and held off the Hawks to a 25-21 victory. Flagg tallied eight kills in the set to lead the team, while Haley Howell delivered 15 assists.

SET THREE:
The Saints came out red hot in the third, opening up an 11-3 lead on the strength of two kills and two blocks from Christina Monroe. Hartford was able to run off the next four points, two on kills by Paulina Modesto, to force a Saints timeout at 11-7. Siena was able to rebound out of the timeout and regain a seven-point lead, and held on to that margin to the final whistle. The Saints hit .462 in the third set to the Hawks' .091.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

·               A strong crowd of 618 packed in the Hartford Volleyball Gym, the highest total for the Hawks on the year.

·               The Saints outhit the Hawks in the match, .305 to .071. In the third set, Siena hit a match-high .462.

·               Astrid Mangual led the way with 23 assists, a career high for the sophomore.

·               Siena delivered seven blocks as a team, including six from Christina Monroe (one solo, five assists). Monroe led all hitters with a .538 attack percentage in the match.

·               Henchy's nine kills were a season best for the sophomore.

UP NEXT:
Hartford travels to Fairfield, Conn., for the Sacred Heart Hampton Inn Shelton Invitational over the weekend. The Hawks will start play on Friday, Sept. 4, with a 1 p.m. match against Brown, followed later in the day by a 5 p.m. contest against host Sacred Heart. Hartford concludes play against Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Bucknell.