PHOTO GALLERY

THE BASICS:

MATCH 1 RESULT: Hartford 3, Manhattan 2
MATCH 2 RESULT: Hartford 3, CCSU 2
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS: Hartford (2-5), CCSU (4-2), Manhattan (0-6)
ATTENDANCE: 487

THE LEAD:
Sophomore Paulina Modestow posted 36 kills over the two matches, as the Hartford volleyball team won a pair of five-set affairs on Saturday, 3-2 over Manhattan and 3-2 over crosstown rival Central Connecticut State. Junior Astrid Mangual totaled 85 assists in the pair of contests as well for the Hawks.


 
MATCH 1: HARTFORD 3, MANHATTAN 2 (25-14, 21-25, 25-17, 17-25, 15-3)
Modestow rolled off 19 kills to lead the offense, as the Hawks staved off a solid Manhattan effort for a 3-2 victory. Nicole Etta also had a masterful performance on serve in the fifth, getting Hartford out to an 11-0 lead in that stanza.
 
Mangual doled out 37 assists as well in the win, while Jordyn Kachmar (15) and Montrashay Worley (11) finished with double-digit digs. Worley added three of the Hawks' nine aces, while Jenna Bridges and Rachel Moll each had four blocks.
 
Casey Monroe (12), Milena Janjusevic (10) and Olyvia Chaltas (10) each finished with double-digit kills for the Jaspers in the loss, while Allie Yamashiro posted a match-high 22 digs.

MATCH 1 SET-BY-SET
• The first set was all Hartford, jumping out to a 5-1 lead on the strength of a pair of Bridges aces, and pushing the lead to 11-5 later in the set. After a back-and-forth sent it to 14-10, the Hawks got four blocks out of five points as part of an eight-point run on the way to a first-set win.
• In the second, Manhattan rebounded, getting out to a 10-4 lead early on and building it to 16-10. The Hawks rallied for five-straight points to cut it to 16-15, but the Jaspers were able to regain the momentum and post the 25-21 win.
• In the third, the Hawks were able to pull back ahead for a 2-1 lead in the match. Early kills by Alyse Wenzel, Modestow and Olivia Rougeau led the squad to a 7-3 advantage that eventually matriculated to 12-6. Manhattan was able to cut it to 16-14, but the Hawks responded with six-straight points with Modestow at the serve, en route to a 25-17 victory.
• The fourth saw the Jaspers come out red-hot, building a 16-5 lead and staving off a late Hartford charge to force a deciding fifth set.
• The fifth was the polar opposite, as the Hawks got a side out off Manhattan's first serve, then rolled off 10-straight points with Etta at the serve to open an 11-0 lead. Modestow delivered four kills and a block during the rally, and Hartford went on to take the match with a 15-3 win.
 
MATCH 2: HARTFORD 3, CCSU 2 (26-24, 25-18, 27-29, 16-25, 16-14)
Four Hawks finished with double-digit kills, led by Modestow's 17, as Hartford won an incredibly tight match against CCSU in five sets. Hartford delivered 10 blocks as a team, including the final point of the night, to seal the victory.
 
Katy Henchy delivered 13 kills, while freshmen Rougeau and Bridges each had 10 kills as well – a career-high for Rougeau. Kachmar delivered 16 digs, while fellow freshman Megan Scherer (14) and Worley (11) also finished in double figures. Mangual posted a career-best 48 assists in the victory, while Modestow notched five aces as well.
 
Raquel Quirarte led the Blue Devils with 14 kills, while Morgan Woycik (12) and Brooke Schwab (10) finished in double digits. Rachel Fish led all players with 20 digs in the loss.

MATCH 2 SET-BY-SET
• The first set was a tremendous back-and-forth affair, with neither team holding a lead of more than four in the stanza. Hartford was able to pull ahead 16-12 on a Modestow kill, but CCSU came right back to knot things up at 16. The Blue Devils continued to put the pressure on, taking a 22-21 lead, but three straight points, the last on a Bridges kill, pushed the advantage to 24-22. Central was able to tie it back up at 24, but a Rougeau kill and a Blue Devil attack error gave the Hawks a 26-24 win.
• In the second, Hartford got out to an early 8-5 lead on a Rougeau kill, but CCSU responded with five straight to take a 10-8 edge. The teams traded blows to 15-12, then three straight points, the last on a Moll kill, tied it at 15. CCSU got a point back, but Hartford then rallied for three straight, including a Bridges block, to make it 18-16. From there, the Hawks took over, delivering seven of the last nine points of the set to take a 2-0 lead.
• The third was a barn burner, with the two squads going back-and-forth time after time. Central led for the majority of the stanza, but Hartford rallied for a 21-20 edge after a run of three blocks and a service ace. The Hawks pushed the lead to 24-22, but CCSU was able to rebound, fending off three different match points to take it 29-27 and force another set.
• The fourth started in tight quarters, but CCSU quickly built a lead, and pulled away in the middle of the stanza to take a lopsided 25-16 win going into the fifth.
• In the final set, the teams engaged in a tremendous back-and-forth, with the Hawks garnering the first two-point advantage at 6-4. From there, it was either tied or within one point, with CCSU holding off another match point at 14-13. But finally, Hartford was able to get consecutive points, closing out the match with a block to take the fifth, 16-14.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks will head to the Dartmouth Invitational on Friday, Sept. 9, and Saturday, Sept. 10, where they will take on Niagara and Army in addition to host Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.