WENHAM, Mass. – The Hartford volleyball team traveled to Gordon College on Saturday afternoon for their final regular season and Conference of New England match up, falling to the Fighting Scots in four sets by a 3-1 (25-19, 25-19, 12-25, 25-17) final.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks opened the first set trading points with the Fighting Scots before Gordon used an early scoring run to establish an 8-1 advantage. Hartford looked to battle back behind contributions from senior Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.) and freshman Calla McCombs (Bloomfield, N.Y.), while freshman Mckenzie Dearborne (Houston, Texas) added a service ace to help the Hawks cut into the deficit. Hartford continued to fight, with McCombs and freshman Amara Rhodes (Merced, Calif.) each recording service aces, but Gordon maintained its advantage to take the opening set, 25-19.
- In the second set, Hartford looked to even the match early as Dearborne recorded back-to-back service aces to help the Hawks establish a 3-1 lead. McCombs continued her strong offensive effort with a kill and a service ace, while Jo. Murphy and sophomore Lauren Johnson (Fort Collins, Colo.) added kills to help Hartford build an 8-4 advantage. Gordon responded with a run of its own, eventually tying the set at 11-11. The teams continued trading points before the Fighting Scots used a late scoring surge to pull away from the Hawks. Gordon closed out the set with six consecutive points to earn another 25-19 victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
- Hartford responded in a big way in the third set, coming out with renewed energy and using an early scoring run to establish an 8-2 advantage. Jo. Murphy and McCombs helped lead the offensive effort, while the Hawks also received key contributions from the defensive side of the net. McCombs added a service ace and another kill as Hartford continued to extend its lead. With the Hawks holding a 14-10 advantage, Johnson took over at the service line, helping Hartford put together a dominant stretch. Johnson recorded three consecutive service aces, while freshman Aribella Stephens (St. Louis, Mo.), sophomore Camille Earl (Houston, Texas), and McCombs contributed kills during the run. The Hawks continued to build their lead before closing out the set with a commanding 25-12 victory to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
- The fourth set saw Gordon jump ahead early, scoring the first three points to establish an advantage. Hartford responded with kills from McCombs, but the Fighting Scots continued to apply pressure offensively and built a 13-5 lead midway through the set. The Hawks continued to battle behind contributions from Johnson, Earl, and McCombs, looking to force a fifth set. McCombs added a service ace and Murphy contributed a kill during a late Hartford push, but Gordon maintained control down the stretch. The Fighting Scots eventually closed out the set, 25-17, to secure the 3-1 match victory.
Post Match Press:
"We had to make some creative lineup decisions and started the match hesitant because of that. But once we found our footing we did a really good job of putting pressure on Gordon," said head coach
Johan Dulfer. "We have trouble sustaining moments of high purpose but are much better now than at the beginning of the season. It bodes really well for our future. We are learning how to win!"
Inside the Numbers:
- Murphy led the Hartford offense with 12 kills, adding five digs in the loss. McCombs followed closely with 11 kills, four service aces, and 12 digs to contribute across multiple statistical categories.
- Johnson finished with eight kills and three service aces, while Earl added six kills. Stephens contributed five kills in the four-set match.
- Rhodes appeared in her first game back and led the passing effort with 33 assists while also registering 16 digs to record a team-high in both categories. Dearborne added 13 digs and three service aces, while McCombs also finished with 12 digs.
- For the Fighting Scots, Haley Hutzler led all players with 19 kills and 14 digs. Annika Schmitt led Gordon with 29 assists, and Amanda Pierce paced the defensive effort with 16 digs.
- Both Hartford and Gordon finished with 44 total kills, while Hartford held an advantage in service aces, 11-7, and digs, 75-64. Hartford also recorded 42 assists compared to Gordon's 41. However, the Fighting Scots held the advantage in hitting percentage, finishing at .223 compared to Hartford's .119.
Up Next:
Hartford volleyball will next travel to Beverly, Mass. to face Endicott College who holds the number three seed in the Conference of New England tournament on November 10th at 7:00 PM.
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