WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior
Jenna Bridges had a match-high 20 kills, while sophomore
Abby Nash recorded her second consecutive double-double, leading Hartford to the 3-1 victory over Binghamton Sunday afternoon in America East action.
Bridges hit .444 to go along with her 20 kills while Nash had 14 kills and a career-high 17 digs for the Hawks, who improve to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in the America East. Gaby Alicea (12 kills, 15 digs) and Erin Shultz (12 kills, 11 digs) each had double-doubles in a losing effort for the Bearcats, who fall to 4-15 on the season and 2-4 in conference play.
HARTFORD 3, BINGHAMTON 1 (25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 25-23)
- SET ONE: With the two teams tied at 20, Hartford used a 5-1 run to wrap up the opening set 25-21 and take the early lead in the match. Sophomore Megan Anderson dished out 10 assists in the first set, while Bridges and Nash both hit .444 to kick things off.
- SET TWO: The Hawks used a 10-4 run early in the second set to break a 7-7 tie and push their lead to six (17-11). Binghamton responded and cut the lead in half at 20-17, but Hartford shut the door on the rally with another 5-1 run to finish up the second set. Sophomore Daisy Eklund hit .429 with four kills in the set while freshman libero Alex Lucero had four digs.
- SET THREE: Down five midway through the third (12-7), Binghamton charged out of a timeout and used an 18-6 run to take the set and hold off the sweep. The Bearcats hit .351 as a team led by Lexi LaGoy, who hit .714 with five kills.
- SET FOUR: The final set of the day saw 14 ties and five lead changes as the two teams battled to the end. Alicea tied the score for Binghamton one last time (23-23), before Anderson found Bridges twice in a row for kills, sealing the match for Hartford. Bridges (seven kills) and Anderson (15 assists) stepped up in the final set, helping the Hawks to their second victory in the last three matches against the Bearcats.
- NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS: In her last two matches, Anderson has dished out 103 assists … It is the 15th consecutive match that Bridges has reached double-digit kills and the third time this season she has finished with 20 or more in a match … The Hawks finished with 10 total team blocks led by Brittany Braun and Bridges with five block-assists each … Binghamton had eight total aces, led by Alicea with three.
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks hit the road this Thursday, as they travel to Long Island to take on Stony Brook. Opening serve is 6:30 p.m.