WORCESTER, Mass. — The University of Hartford women's volleyball split the tri-match this Saturday with one win and one loss. The Hawks first won against Fitchburg State by a 3-0 sweep (29-27, 25-12, 25-20). The Hawks fell to a 3-0 loss against Clark University (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) in their second contest.
Rapid Recap (Fitchburg State University):
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The two teams were battling in the first 13 points, trading kills early in the first set. Hawks stood at 13-13 with a powerful kill from sophomore Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.) to tie the score. The Hawks used this momentum to score an eight point run. Jo. Murphy had two service aces in this run and freshman Tiffany Mendez (Bay Shore, N.Y.) had three explosive kills to aid to the Hawks 21-15 lead. The Falcons continued to fight into the end of the set going for a five point run that made the final points of the set a close battle. The score was 23-23, this exchange of points extended to 27-27 until Jo. Murphy made a sensational service ace to put the Hawks up 1-0 heading into the second set, 29-27.
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The Hawks started the second set with fire scoring a four point run and then an eight point run back-to-back. Points were from Junior Kylee Connally (Dallas, Texas) and Mendez with strong kills. Score was 12-1. Freshman Kalle Legassey (Prospect, Conn.) added some points to the board with an ace to put the Hawks up to a comfortable 16-2 lead. The Falcons were able to force errors on the Hawks to close the gap to a 19-9. Connally pushed the Hawks to the win with three points for the Hawks to win the second set 25-12. The Hawks continued their lead 2-0.
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In the final set the Hawks found themselves tied 10-10 as both teams were fighting until the end. Mendez had two dazzling aces that propelled the Hawks to a 15-11 lead, the first largest lead of this set. Junior Juliana Robinshaw (South Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore Liahanna Orange (Linden, N.J.) added some crucial bench points to the board with an effortless kill from Robinshaw and an ace from Orange. The Hawks continued to lead 22-13. The Falcons were fired up and went on to score two back to back runs closing the gap to 24-20. Junior Sydney Ball (Enfield, Conn.) sealed the deal with a devastating kill to end the set 25-20. The Hawks win 3-0.
Inside the Numbers:
Rapid Recap (Clark University):
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Both teams kicked off the match with a fierce exchange, trading points and leveling the score at 4-4 early on. The Cougars went on to score a six point run, Hawks trailed 10-4. Junior Sydney Ball (Enfield, Conn.) broke their run with a dominating kill from the hands of junior Kylee Connally (Dallas, Texas). The Cougars pulled away from the Hawks with a nine point run that set the score at 20-9. The Hawks continued to fight at the end of the set with kills from freshman Tiffany Mendez (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and sophomore Jenna Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.). The Cougars ended this set with a five point lead to win the first set, 1-0.
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In the second set, again both teams opened the set with a close contest to 8-8 and then 13-13. Sophomore Kaia Karcich and junior Amaiya Lu (Lawrence, Mass.) had two straight aces for the Hawks that added to their score. The Cougars broke this exchange with a four point run, Hawks trailed 19-14. The Hawks continued to battle until the end of the set with kills from sophomore Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.). The Cougars held strong to end the set 25-18, 2-0 in the match.
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In the final set, the Hawks led 10-8 Jen. Murphy had back-to-back stellar kills for the team that gave them the momentum they needed. The lead changed hands six times in the next plays until Clark University led 15-14, the Cougars went on to score a four point run that widened the margin to 19-15. Mendez landed thunderous kills in the final plays of the match. The Cougars pulled away to close the set 25-19, 3-0 in the match.
Inside the Numbers:
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Massachusetts next Saturday September 21st to take on Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a 3:00 p.m. tip.
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