THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 3, UMass Lowell 2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-20, 15-11)
LOCATION: Costello Athletic Center
RECORDS: Hartford (4-10, 1-0 America East), UML (5-10, 0-1)

THE LEAD:
The Hartford volleyball team had five players post double-digit kills as it overcame a 2-0 deficit to rally for a 3-2 win over UMass Lowell on Saturday night. The match marked the America East opener for both teams.
 
Katy Henchy led all players with 18 kills, while Paulina Modestow (15), Jenna Bridges (13) and Alyse Wenzel (10) all finished in double figures as well. Bridges (6) and Wenzel (5) led a tremendous effort on the block as the team finished with 13 altogether. Astrid Mangual delivered a career-high 52 assists, while five players finished in double digits in digs. Paola Llerandi led the way with 24, while Mangual (18), Montrashay Worley (13), Modestow (12) and Megan Scherer (11) all followed close behind.
 
Madi Bell led UMass Lowell with 16 kills, while Lade Adenyi and Haley Shimon posted 12 each. Lindsey Visvardis (22 digs) and Bell (19) each had strong matches on the back line as well in a losing effort.

HEAD COACH MITCH KALLICK'S TAKE
"I'm really proud of how our team fought throughout the match. We know wins in the America East are going to be tough to come by so it is great to start off the conference schedule with one. All of our players showed a lot of grit and determination to come out on top tonight."
 
SET-BY-SET
• Hartford came out strong in the opening stanza, posting a 10-5 lead over the River Hawks after a Bridges kill. After the teams traded points to 13-8, UML went on a run of five straight to knot the set up at 13 and then exchanged runs to a 19-all tally. The home squad then notched four of the next five points to take a 23-20 advantage. The Hawks were able to cut it to 24-23, but UML finished off the set with a kill to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
• In the second, it was an incredibly tight match, with the squads tying at every score from 1-1 to 10-10. Hartford built the first lead at 14-12 after a Modestow kill, but UML came right back to tie it once more. The back-and-forth continued all the way to 20-20, before the Hawks built another two-point edge on a Scherer ace. Hartford advanced to set point at 24-22 on a Modestow kill, but UML rallied for four straight to close the set for a 26-24 victory.
• The third was another back-and-forth affair early on, with the Hawks gaining the first significant advantage with a Henchy kill making it 12-8. UMass Lowell was able to battle back to knot the score up at 16-all, and then the River Hawks pushed ahead 19-18. But Hartford stiffened, going on a run of six points out of seven, culminating in an Olivia Rougeau kill, and went on to finish it off with a Wenzel kill for a 25-22 victory.
• Hartford jumped ahead early in the fourth, opening an 8-5 lead after a Modestow kill, before the teams traded blows to a 13-11 score. At that juncture, the Hawks rolled off three straight to push the lead to 16-11 and force a UML timeout. The visitors pushed the lead all the way to 22-15, and after a brief River Hawk rally, finished off the set on a Modestow solo block to force the decisive fifth set.
• In the fifth, the teams stayed true to form, coming out even out of the gate. UML was the first to eight, taking an 8-6 lead, but the Hawks exploded after the teams traded sides. Hartford rolled off seven-straight points, the last on a Henchy kill, to make the lead 13-8. The River Hawks were able to cut it to 14-11, but Hartford took the match on an error by the home squad.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks remain on the road for a pair of conference matches, when they take on Binghamton (Friday) and Albany (Sunday) in affairs next weekend.