THE BASICS:

RESULT: Albany 3, Hartford 1
LOCATION: University Gym (Albany, N.Y.)
RECORDS: Hartford (4-12, 1-2 America East), UAlbany (9-6, 3-0)

THE LEAD:
Paulina Modestow had another fine offensive day with 13 kills, but UAlbany remained undefeated in conference play with a 3-1 victory over the Hartford volleyball team on Sunday.
 
Chloe Evering (12), Amanda Dolan (11) and Akuabata Okenwa (10) all finished with double-digit kills to lead the Great Danes. Nicole Otero led all players with 22 digs and Laini Leindecker added 13, with Leindecker adding four aces in the win.
 
In addition to Modestow's offensive performance, Jenna Bridges added nine kills to go with a .316 attack percentage and three blocks for the Hawks. Paola Llerandi (12) and Astrid Mangual (11) each posted double-digit digs, and Mangual doled out 33 assists in a losing effort.
 
SET-BY-SET
• The opening set was all Great Danes, as the home squad opened up an 11-1 lead and never looked back to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
• The second stanza was the inverse, as Hartford opened a quick 9-2 advantage that culminated in a block by Henchy and Rachel Moll. The Great Danes were able to cut it to 11-8, but the Hawks rallied with four more in a row and six of the next seven to push the edge to 17-9. UAlbany delivered another rally to cut it to 18-15, but kills by Modestow and Henchy were key parts of another Hawks run to rally for a 25-16 win in the second.
• The third was a much more back-and-forth affair, as the teams battled to tie scores at 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8. The Great Danes got the first strong rally to build a 12-8 lead, but Hartford was able to slowly chip away and cut it to one on a Jenna Bridges ace at 14-13. UAlbany regained the momentum, though, and took a 25-17 victory to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth.
• The teams came out even again in the fourth, with Hartford taking an early 5-4 lead, three of those on Modestow kills. After the score moved to 8-8, the Great Danes went on their first significant run of the set, delivering five straight for a 13-8 lead. That turned the tide in the contest, as the Hawks were unable to recover and UAlbany earned the victory.

UP NEXT:
It's a return to home for the Hawks, as Hartford will play host to New Hampshire on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. in the Hartford Volleyball Gym.