ITHACA, N.Y. — After downing Youngstown State in three sets, the Hartford volleyball team battled Cornell down to the wire to take a 3-2 victory and win the Cornell Invitational. Previously defeating Niagara on Friday, the Hawks, who have won four straight, improve to 4-2 on the season.
The Penguins dipped to 4-2 with the defeat, while the Big Red drop to 2-1 with the loss in the nightcap. Senior
Jenna Bridges was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while juniors
Megan Anderson and
Abby Nash earned All-Tournament Team laurels.
HARTFORD 3, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-17)
- SET ONE: With the set knotted early at 4-4, Hartford delivered a blow with a 10-2 run to open up an eight-point advantage at 14-6. Extending the advantage into double figures at 18-8, the Hawks never looked back, as they held the Penguins to just six more points for the remainder of the set.
- SET TWO: A back-and-forth start featuring three lead changes saw Hartford and Youngstown State play to a 15-15 deadlock. The Hawks buckled down, though, and built a three-point cushion at 20-17. Despite the Penguins closing the gap to a single point at 22-21, Hartford scored the final three points and sealed the victory with a service ace by junior Brittany Braun.
- SET THREE: Hartford and Youngstown State traded points to open up what proved to be the final set. But with the score knotted up at 12-12, the Hawks hit their stride, using a 6-2 run to open up an 18-14 advantage. One final push by the Penguins closed the gap to two (18-16), but Hartford responded by scoring seven of the final eight points to seal the three-set victory. Bridges delivered nine kills in 10 attempts to pace the offense, which hit .429 as a team.
- NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS: Bridges compiled 21 kills and committed just three errors for an impressive .667 hitting percentage … Lindsay, who recorded five kills, tied Anderson with a team-leading 12 digs … Braun led the way with three blocks.
HARTFORD, CORNELL (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 19-17)
- SET ONE: Despite falling behind early by as many as five, Hartford mounted a furious comeback bid to tie up the set at 18-all behind a 6-1 run. The Hawks were never able to take the lead, though, as a strong finish by Cornell propelled the home team to the opening-set win.
- SET TWO: The Hawks drew blood first in set two, building a 14-10 advantage before allowing the Big Red to inch their way back and take an eventual 20-17 lead. But Hartford rallied again, as it pulled within striking distance before coming back to force a 22-22 tie. From there, the Hawks tied up the match at 1-1 by scoring three of the final four points for the 25-23 triumph.
- SET THREE: Cornell looked to have had the set wrapped up after going ahead by as many as eight points (15-7). Facing a 17-10 deficit, the Hawks mounted yet another furious comeback, rallying for a 10-2 run to go up, 20-19. Two-straight points brought the Big Red back into the mix, and following three ties, including a 23-23 deadlock, Hartford held on to clinch the 25-23 win.
- SET FOUR: The Big Red trailed the Hawks by three for most of the set, but clawed back to take a 19-14 advantage. Hartford managed to trim its five-point deficit down to three at 19-16, but Cornell ran away with the set and forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-19 victory.
- SET FIVE: Cornell took a lead out of the gates and pushed ahead by a 10-7 count. The Hawks came storming back, using a 6-0 run fueled by back-to-back kills by Bridges to take a 13-10 lead. With Hartford sitting at match point, the Big Red refused to go down easy, as the score was knotted up four times before the Hawks would claim the victory.
NEXT ON TAP
Another tournament is on the docket for Hartford, as it heads to Hanover, N.H., for the Dartmouth Invitational. The Hawks will face Fordham, Dartmouth and Hofstra during the two-day event, which begins on Friday, Sept. 13.
For more information on the Hartford volleyball team, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media (
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