NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Hartford volleyball team picked up their first two wins of the season on Saturday defeating Albertus Magnus College and Salem State University in three sets each. The win marks the first wins for the Hawks for head coach
Johan Dulfer and assistant coach
Kylie Koontz.
Albertus Magnus Rapid Recap (W, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-9):
- The Hawks and Falcons were even at 12 in the early going of the first set. Albertus Magnus would get the upper hand following with a three-point spurt to lead 15-12. Hartford would get right back into the match using a critical 7-1 run highlighted by three aces and two kills from junior Rylee Miller (Sunriver, Ore.) to take a 21-19 lead. The Hawks would close things out after getting the final four points in the set with a kill for freshman Calla McCombs (Bloomfield, N.Y.) and an ace for freshman Amara Rhodes (Merced, Calif.).
- In the second set the Hawks took control early leading by a 10-4 margin with a pair of aces coming from freshman Arianna Mapa (San Diego, Calif.) and junior Andrea Martir-Perez (Bristol, Conn.). The Falcons would make a run back with a 12-5 spurt to take a 16-15 lead. The lead would hold at 21-19, but Hartford came through in a clutch spot getting six out of seven points to win by the 25-22 margin.
- The Hawks kept flying in the third set jumping ahead 13-7 highlighted by six assists for Rhodes. Hartford continued to roll finishing the set by a 25-9 final score. Junior Addison Miller (Allentown, Pa.) was huge in the final run getting a pair of aces and an assist.
Inside the Numbers:
- R. Miller led the way for Hartford getting nine kills to go with nine digs and four service aces. McCombs registered eight kills to go with four aces and 10 digs. Sophomore Camille Earl (Houston, Texas) added six kills in the win.
- Rhodes continued to fill the stat sheet with 17 assists, a team-high 12 digs, four aces and a pair of kills. A. Miller added 10 digs and two aces in the win.
- Majo Pelaez and Lia Beriguete both had eight kills to lead the way for Albertus Magnus.
- The Hawks would end with a .256 kill percentage while the Falcons ended with a .155 percentage.
Salem State Rapid Recap (W, 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-18):
- The Hawks would get an early 4-1 lead with a kill coming from R. Miller. The Vikings cut the deficit to 7-5 and then later 12-11, but Hartford would stay in front countering with a 7-1 spurt as the lead was 19-12. The Hawks would close it out with a 4-1 run to win by a 25-17 score.
- Salem State would lead early in the second set 5-3. Hartford punched back with a 8-1 run sparked by kills for R. Miller and senior Jordan Murphy (East Hampton, Conn.). The lead stayed with the Hawks going on another massive 7-3 run to close out the second set 25-16. R. Miller added an ace and a kill in the set two victory.
- In the third set the Vikings led by a 6-4 margin, but once again Hartford would respond with a 9-1 run with Rhodes putting together a kill, two assists and two aces. Salem State would get the set to within 14-11, but again the Hawks countered on a 6-0 run highlighted by three aces from junior Gigi Churn (Lewisville, N.C.). The Hawks would hold on winning by a 25-18 score.
Inside the Numbers:
- Jo. Murphy had a big second match getting nine kills on a .571 percentage with four blocks and four digs. McCombs registered 10 kills and four digs. R. Miller added nine kills and three digs.
- Rhodes tallied 27 assists in the second match win to go with four aces, eight assists and two more kills.
- Ivy Mattos led the Vikings with eight kills and four digs in the loss.
- The Hawks would end with a .305 kill percentage while the Falcons ended with a .046 percentage.
Post Tri-Match Press:
"It felt amazing to see this team click and find success", said junior
Rylee Miller (Sunriver, Ore.). "We have been working so hard in practice to push each other and build an unbreakable connection with so many new faces. These wins are the result of our hard work, and I'm so excited to see what's next!"
"What a difference a few days can make", said head coach
Johan Dulfer. "We were so locked in at practice on Friday that Kylie and I can only be happy with the effort and focus today. We were able to stay composed in difficult moments today and kept getting better throughout the day. Our offense was more balanced today and our passing crisper which was a huge reason for our first two wins of the season. I'm so proud of this group's resilience."
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Weston, Mass. on Tuesday, September 8th to take on Regis College at 7:00 PM.
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