HAMDEN, Conn. – Hartford volleyball defeated Fairfield in straight sets on Saturday afternoon to finish the Battle of Connecticut with a 2-1 record. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 2-3 on the season while the Stags dip to 1-5.
 
Senior Paulina Modestow tallied 12 kills in 22 attempts to pace the offense, which hit a season-best .352 as a team.
 
HARTFORD 3, FAIRFIELD 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-6)

• SET ONE: The Hawks and Stags played a tight one in the first, with either team establishing more than a two-point lead early on. Five-straight points by Fairfield gave the Stags their largest advantage at 14-10, but Hartford battled back to take a late 21-19 advantage. Despite Fairfield tying up the score at 21-21, the Hawks clamped down and used a 4-1 run to seal the win.
• SET TWO: The second set also saw a lot of back-and-forth action, but with the score knotted up at 11-11, Hartford rallied for seven-straight points to create a comfortable cushion heading down the stretch. Fairfield managed to close the gap down to three at 23-20, but the Hawks took care of business to take the set.
• SET THREE: Hartford jumped out to an 11-3 lead and never looked back in what proved to be the final set. The Hawks continued to add to their lead, taking an 18-4 advantage before ending the match on a 7-2 run to secure the sweep.
• NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS: Junior Jenna Bridges also recorded double figures in kills with 10 … rookie Alex Lucero compiled 16 digs, a new career high … sophomore setter Megan Anderson added 33 assists.

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks have five days off before returning to action with Hartford Hawks Invitational. Hartford kicks off its host tournament on Friday, Sept. 7, against Niagara (7 p.m.) before it takes on Brown and Bucknell on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.