Sophomore Isabella Labrada and freshman Zahara Quraishi combined for 41 of the team's 49 kills as the University of Hartford volleyball team upended Commonwealth Coast Conference foe Gordon in four sets (25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 25-23) inside the Chase Family Arena.
 
For the second straight contest, Qurashi tallied a career-high 23 kills on an efficient 46 attempts for a career-best .370 hitting percentage. Her previous career-high of 23 kills was accomplished on 68 attempts. Labrada finished with a career-best 18 kills on 39 attempts for a hitting percentage of .256.
 
Nearly the entire match, the sets were playing within a five-point window with neither team having a lead of more than five points. The only exception was the third set in which Gordon opened the set with five consecutive points and opened up as much as an 11-point bulge before securing the set.
 
However, Hartford was able to rebound to secure the fourth set. With senior Kionah Thomas serving, the Hawks put six straight points on the board to turn a two-point deficit into a four-point lead. The Hawks added to its lead with a 20-15 advantage, leading to a Gordon timeout. The Fighting Scots scored seven of the next eight points to take the lead, but the Hawks picked up four of the final five points for the victory.


 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Quraishi has recorded double-figure kills in six of eight matches. She is now second in the CCC with 3.61 kills per set.
• Labrada now has double-digit kills in four of six matches.
• Sophomore Kylee Connally tied a career-high with 21 assists and has reached at least 15 kills in five games.
• For the second straight contest, freshman Jordan Murphy finished with five total blocks – two solo blocks and three block assists.
• Thomas has recorded 37 digs, including 15 in today's match, in October.

 
WHAT'S NEXT
Hartford (3-5 overall, 2-1 CCC) travels to the University of New England (9-5, 1-2 CCC) 5 p.m. Saturday.