THE BASICS:

MATCH 1 RESULT: St. Francis Brooklyn 3, Hartford 0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-17)
MATCH 2 RESULT: Army 3, Hartford 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-22)
LOCATION: Gillis Field House (West Point, N.Y.)
RECORDS: Hartford (0-3), St. Francis (1-2), Army (2-1)

THE LEAD:
The Hartford volleyball team was toppled in its final two matches of the Black Knights Invitational, hosted by Army West Point. Host Army and St. Francis Brooklyn were each able to knock off the Hawks on the day. Freshman Abby Nash earned all-tournament honors for her efforts in the event.
 
MATCH 1: ST. FRANCIS 3, HARTFORD 0
Nash finished with double-digit kills for the second time in as many career matches, but a strong day on the block led St. Francis past the Hawks in straight sets. The Terriers delivered 10 blocks to two for the Hawks en route to the victory.
 
Katy Henchy had eight kills and Jenna Bridges seven, while Nicole Etta deliverd a team-best 11 digs. Aleksandra Gligoric had 10 kills for the Terriers and Vanja Miljacic added nine in the win.
 
MATCH 1 SET-BY-SET
• The two teams engaged in a tight battle early on, with St. Francis holding a 10-9 lead after an Alyse Wenzel kill.  But the Terriers ran off four-straight points to push the lead to 14-9. The Hawks trimmed the deficit to two on multiple occasions, but a late 5-1 rally pushed the Terriers up 23-16 en route to a 25-22 victory.
• In the second, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead, with a Bridges kill putting Hartford up 9-6. But St. Francis rallied to tie the score on four occasions before breaking through to take an 18-16 lead. Hartford was able to regain the momentum, taking a 23-21 lead on a Henchy kill, but SFC scored five of the last six points to earn a 26-24 victory.
• St. Francis got out to a quick start in the third, using the block to open a 7-3 advantage. After the teams traded points to 10-6, the Terriers rolled off four in a row to push the lead to 14-6. Hartford was able to chip away at the lead, eventually cutting it to 22-17 on a Nash kill, but St. Francis converted the last three points to finish off the match.
  
MATCH 2: ARMY 3, HARTFORD 0
Nash and Paulina Modestow each had six kills and Alyse Wenzel delivered five blocks, but host Army West Point delivered a strong offensive performance to down the Hawks. Rachel Gearon (14), Jaden Pickell (10) and Amber Clay (10) all finished with double-digit kills for the Black Knights.
 
MATCH 2 SET-BY-SET
• The two teams started out even early in the stanza, with Hartford trimming it to 6-5 on a Modestow kill. But Army rolled off four straight to take a sizeable lead at 10-5, and from then on held control, as the teams traded points to a 25-17 score.
• The Black Knights came out rolling in the second, opening an early 11-2 lead, but Hartford came rolling back with five straight of their own, three on service aces by Nash. The Hawks continued to chip away and cut it to 14-12 on a Modestow kill. Army staged another rally at that juncture, though, and delivered a 25-18 triumph.
• The third proved the best battle of the three, though the Black Knights opened an early 8-2 lead. Slowly, the Hawks chipped away, and finally drew even at 12-12 on a Henchy solo block. Unsatisfied, Hartford continued its assault, regaining a 19-16 lead. But the Black Knights chipped away and tied the set up at 22, before finishing off the set with a block for the victory.
  
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will stay in the Nutmeg State next weekend for a talented field at the Dog Pound Challenge, hosted by UConn. Hartford will take on LSU and Iona in addition to the host Huskies.