WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Hartford volleyball mounted a pair of comebacks in the third and fourth sets on Saturday to take down undefeated American, 3-1, in its final match of the George Washington Invitational. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 1-2, while the Eagles dip to 2-1.
Senior
Jenna Bridges and freshman
Maddie Lindsay were each named to the All-Tournament Team for the Hawks.
- SET ONE: The Hawks got the morning going with authority, building a quick 6-0 lead behind three straight Lindsay kills. But American came storming back, rattling off 11 of the next 12 points to take an 11-7 advantage. The wild momentum swings continued, as Hartford pushed back ahead and went up, 15-12, using an 8-1 run. That cushion would be enough for the Hawks to hold on for the win, as they topped the Eagles, 25-21.
- SET TWO:A back-and-forth start between Hartford and American resulted in an 18-18 stalemate. Despite breaking open the match and having set point at 24-22, the Eagles clamped down and delivered a set-ending 4-0 run to come out on top.
- SET THREE: Hartford trailed the entire set, but mounted a huge comeback late. The Hawks clawed back from a 23-18 deficit and eventually tied up the set at 24-24 on a kill by junior Abby Nash. Hartford would see three set points before capitalizing on its fourth attempt, with block assists from Bridges and junior Brittany Braun sealing the 29-27 win.
- SET FOUR: American spoiled another early Hawks' lead, as the Eagles took a 14-11 lead before using a 6-2 rally to go up, 20-13. Scoring five of the next six points, Hartford pulled within three at 21-18, before six-straight points erased a 22-18 deficit and put the Hawks on top, 24-22. The Eagles clawed back one final time, forcing a 24-24 tie, but sophomore Valerie Diede delivered the dagger, slamming down back-to-back kills to win the match.
- NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS: Lindsay hit .221 on the match and finished with a match-best 21 kills, a season-high … freshman Greta De Gaspar led the defense with 20 digs, also a game high … delivering 15 kills, Bridges added eight blocks.
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford heads to Ithaca, N.Y., for the Cornell Invitational. The Hawks are set to kick off the two-day tournament on Friday, Sept. 6, when they take on Niagara at 5 p.m. Hartford will also face Youngstown and Cornell on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
