WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in style on Wednesday, honoring senior Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.), senior Jenna Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.), and junior Gigi Churn (Lewisville, N.C.) before earning a 3-1 (28-26, 25-21, 17-25, 25-19) victory over Framingham State University.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks battled through a back-and-forth opening set, with Framingham State taking an early advantage before Hartford fought its way back. Trailing 21-16, Hartford went on a late surge highlighted by kills from sophomore Lauren Johnson (Fort Collins, Colo.) and a service ace from freshman Calla McCombs (Bloomfield, N.Y.) to even the score at 21-21. The teams traded points deep into extra play, with Jo. Murphy and McCombs delivering key plays before Hartford closed out the set with a 28-26 victory.
- Hartford and the Rams continued to exchange points early, reaching an 8-8 tie. The Hawks began to create separation behind kills from Johnson, Jo. Murphy, and McCombs, building a 17-13 advantage. The Rams responded with a run of their own, eventually tying the set at 18-18. Hartford regrouped and finished strong, as freshman Arianna Mapa (San Diego, Calif.) recorded two service aces during a four-point run to help the Hawks secure a 25-21 win and take a 2-0 match lead.
- The Rams came out aggressively, jumping ahead 4-0 to open the third set. Hartford attempted to respond with kills from Jo. Murphy and sophomore Camille Earl (Houston, Texas), but the Rams continued to extend their advantage. The Hawks made a late push behind Earl's offense and two consecutive service aces from McCombs, cutting the deficit to 21-16. Framingham State maintained its momentum, however, taking the third set by a 25-17 final.
- Hartford responded in the fourth set, opening with two consecutive blocks from Jo. Murphy to take an early 2-0 lead. After Framingham State built a 9-5 advantage, the Hawks battled back with kills from sophomore Mattea Cosby (Enfield, Conn), McCombs, and Murphy to even the score at 9-9. Hartford continued to build momentum, taking a 16-13 lead behind strong serving and blocking. Earl then took over from the service line, recording three consecutive aces to help the Hawks pull away. Jo. Murphy finished the match with a block, securing the 25-19 set victory and the 3-1 match win.
Post Match Press:
"Defending your home court during senior night is a special feeling," said Head Coach
Johan Dulfer. "The three young ladies who played their last whole match on their home floor tonight have met so much to this program and are leaving it in a better place than when they found it. Stuart Chip is not easy and I am so happy that they are able to walk away from their last home match with a win tonight."
Inside the Numbers:
- McCombs led the Hawks offensively with 14 kills, adding 16 digs and four service aces for a team-high 20 points. Johnson contributed 11 kills, while Jo. Murphy finished with nine kills and six total blocks in her Senior Day performance.
- Earl stuffed the stat sheet tonight as she recorded nine kills, four service aces, and four blocks, finishing with 15 points.
- Cosby orchestrated the Hartford offense with 37 assists while adding four kills and nine digs.
- The Rams were led by Natalie Reynolds, who recorded a match-high 19 kills. Madysen Cedrone contributed 27 assists and 17 digs.
- As a team, Hartford held the advantage in several statistical categories, finishing with 48 kills compared to Framingham State's 40. The Hawks also recorded 16 service aces to the Rams' seven.
Up Next:
The Hawks will conclude their regular season on Saturday, November 7th as they will travel to Wenham, Mass. to face Gordon College at 1:00 PM.
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