WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Hartford volleyball team swept Western New England 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-11) in dominant fashion, picking up their first Conference of New England win of the season.
Rapid Recap:
- The first set began level, knotted at 6-6 before the Hawks went on a six-point run highlighted by a big ace from freshman Aribella Stevens (St. Louis, Mo.) and a kill from sophomore Lauren Johnson (Fort Collins, Colo.). The Hawks maintained momentum to go up 17-13 but were met with a five-point run by the Golden Bears, who took an 18-17 lead. The teams exchanged points until the Hawks were able to pull away thanks to an ace from freshman Calla McCombs (Bloomfield, N.Y.) and an eventual kill from Stevens to take the set 25-23.
- The second set began with a McCombs kill to get the Hawks started, followed by the teams knotting at six apiece. Hartford pulled out of this tie on the heels of kills from junior Rylee Miller (Sunriver, Ore.) and Johnson to push them ahead 12-7. McCombs added another big kill to make it 15-11. The Hawks continued to control the set, closing it out 25-18 on a kill from senior Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.).
- The Hawks began the third set right where they left off, storming to a quick 12-3 lead on the heels of kills from Johnson and McCombs. The Golden Bears tried to push back, but their efforts were halted by Hartford's momentum. An 8-1 run from the Hawks closed the set out, as Hartford topped the Golden Bears 25-11 to complete the sweep.
Inside the Numbers:
- McCombs led the Hawks with 13 kills and six digs. Miller added 12 kills alongside four digs.
- Johnson registered eight kills with zero errors, landing a stellar .615 hitting percentage.
- Freshman Amara Rhodes (Mercid, Calif.) led the passing effort with 34 assists.
- Hartford dominated in all three major statistical categories, leading the Golden Bears in kills (44-21), digs (39-19), and assists (28-25).
Post Match Press:
"We attribute the win to our hard work and competitiveness in practice," said Johnson. "Keeping our momentum going and continuing to practice with the same intensity will really take us far throughout conference play."
"Opening up conference play is a special feeling and it feels good to start with a well-deserved win," said Head Coach Johan Dulfer. "I felt we fought our way into the match tonight, getting more aggressive and confident each set. We earned 19 of our points in each of the three sets, which is an incredible stat line and makes me very proud."
Up Next:
The Hawks will take on #11 Wesleyan University tomorrow, September 24, in a non-conference home match up.
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