THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 3, UMBC 1
LOCATION: RAC Arena (Baltimore, Md.)
RECORDS: Hartford (6-19, 3-9 AE); UMBC (17-8, 8-4)
 
THE LEAD:
Paulina Modestow delivered 15 kills and Jenna Bridges added 14 as the Hartford volleyball team upended third-place UMBC on Saturday in the regular-season conference finale for both teams.
 
Senior Rachel Moll and junior Katy Henchy each added eight kills on the offensive side for the Hawks in the win, with junior setter Astrid Mangual doling out 44 assists. Bridges led the defensive effort with six blocks, while senior Paola Llerandi led Hartford with 16 digs.
 
Zoya Trendafilova led all players with 18 kills, while Lauren Mortimer and Ashley Ramos each contributed 11 for UMBC. Kristin Watson added 21 digs for the Retrievers.
 
SET-BY-SET:

• UMBC got out to an early 4-1 lead in the first, but the Hawks came roaring back with Bridges, Modestow and Olivia Rougeau combining for eight kills as part of an 11-3 rally to put Hartford ahead 12-7. Undaunted, the Retrievers came clawing back, pulling to within one at 17-16 before eventually taking the lead at 23-22. After the teams traded sides out to a 25-24 UMBC lead, the Hawks knotted the score on an error, then got an ace and a kill from Modestow to take the first 27-25.
• The second set saw the two teams start even out of the gate to a 5-4 UMBC lead, but the Retrievers then went on a 7-1 run to open a 12-5 lead. The Hawks refused to give, though, and consecutive Modestow kills cut the lead to 13-11 midway through the set. The home squad then rallied for a 17-12 edge, but after a Hartford timeout, the visitors delivered six of the next seven points, the last on a Nicole Etta ace, to knot the score at 18-18. The Retrievers were able to pull ahead 23-22, but again, the Hawks closed with three straight, the last on a kill by Modestow, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
• In the third, the two squads again got out to an even start, with UMBC holding a 12-11 lead midway through the set. But the Retrievers exploded at that point, finishing the set with a flurry to take the third, 25-15, and cut the lead to 2-1.
• But the Hawks were unwilling to relent, and snatched the momentum right back at the beginning of the fourth, going on a seven-point rally to take a 10-4 lead early in the stanza. After UMBC chipped away to cut it to 15-12, the Hawks came right back with three straight on Etta's serve for an 18-12 lead. Another Retrievers rally knotted the score up at 21 late, but the Hawks finished with four of the last five points, the final two on kills by Henchy, for a 25-22 win.

 
UP NEXT:
Hartford will now have a 10-day break before returning to the floor for their season finale, at Yale, on Tuesday, Nov. 22.