THE BASICS:

RESULT: New Hampshire 3, Hartford 1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-21)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS: Hartford (4-13, 1-3 America East), New Hampshire (10-8, 3-0)

THE LEAD:
Katy Henchy led three Hawks in double-digit kills with 11, but a strong New Hampshire attack lifted the visiting Wildcats to a 3-1 victory over the Hartford volleyball team on Friday.
 
Gabri Olhava led the undefeated UNH squad with 17 kills, while Kennedi Smith added 16 and Emily Tanski delivered 12 as the Wildcats hit .344 as a team. New Hampshire also got 20 digs out of Demi Muses and 55 assists from Keelin Severtson.
 
In addition to Henchy, Paulina Modestow and Jenna Bridges each delivered 10 kills for Hartford. Astrid Mangual had a solid match with 32 assists and 13 digs, while Paola Llerandi added 13 digs as well for the Hawks.
 


SET-BY-SET
• The first set was a back-and-forth affair from the get-go, with the teams tied for 11 of the first 13 points of the stanza. Back-to-back kills by Modestow and Henchy pushed Hartford ahead 15-13, but UNH came back to tie the score once again. The home squad then went on a run with Llerandi at the serve, as a Bridges kill gave Hartford a 21-16 lead to close out a four-point rally. The Hawks maintained that edge all the way to a 25-21 triumph and a 1-0 lead.
• In the second, Hartford got out to a 4-1 lead after a Bridges ace, but UNH came right back with four straight to regain a 5-4 edge. From there, the visitors were able to slowly build upon their lead, pushing the advantage to 18-11. Hartford staged a late rally, trimming the deficit to 21-17, but the Wildcats rallied for the last four points and a 25-17 victory.
• In the third, the teams came out even to a 6-5 UNH advantage, but the Wildcats roared back by taking 11 of the next 13 points for a 17-7 lead. Hartford mounted a late rally that included a Modestow kill, but could not overcome the deficit as New Hampshire took a 2-1 advantage.
• The Hawks came strong out of the gate in the fourth, taking a 5-2 lead following consecutive kills by Modestow and Bridges. But New Hampshire delivered a rally, slowly cutting into the Hawks deficit and taking a 15-13 lead following a Muses kill. An Olivia Rougeau kill snapped the rally, but UNH pushed its lead to 22-16. A late Hartford run keyed by the block cut the deficit to 23-21, but the Wildcats rebounded to finish off the match with a 3-1 victory.

UP NEXT:
Hartford returns home for a pair of contests over Hawktober Weekend, as they will play host to UMBC on Friday night at 7, then take on Stony Brook on Saturday at 5. Admission to all Hartford home matches is free for all spectators.