New York, NY – Hunter College women's volleyball went 1-1 on its first day of competition of the 2016 season, falling to Ramapo College in five sets before defeating Keene State in five.
 
Ramapo 3, Hunter 2
The Hawks took the first set in the match against Ramapo with a score of 25-19, before falling in the second by ten points. The Roadrunners kept the momentum going by taking the third set as well, with a score of 25-17. The Purple and Gold rallied from behind to win the fourth, 25-18, and the send the match into the fifth set, but it would not be enough as they fell, 15-7 to lose the match 3-2.
 
Julia Connolly led the team with 24 kills in the loss, while Taylor Kerr-Haiduk followed with 15 of her own. Breanna Banske took charge at the setter position, recording 36 assists. Defense was a team effort as four players recorded double-digit digs, led by Kerr-Haiduk's 17.
 
She was followed by Haley Trunkett's 16 digs in the match.
 
The team recorded a .105 hitting percentage in contrast to Ramapo's .227 percentage.
 
Hunter 3, Keene St. 2
Hunter once again struck first in their second match of the day, winning the first set against Keene St. with a score of 25-21. The Owls came back for revenge in the second, notching a 25-18 win, but the Purple and Gold made sure not to fall behind this time, taking the third set, 25-20.
 
Keene St. would send the match into the fifth set with a 25-19 fourth-set win, but the Hawks managed to keep the Owls at bay, winning the fifth 15-11 for a 3-2 victory.
 
Kerr-Haiduk led the team offensively with 21 kills, but also had a huge defensive effort  with 17 digs. Connolly followed with 20 kills with help from Banske's 34 assists on the match. Trunkett led the squad with 20 digs, while Miranda Hogan followed with 19 of her own.
 
The Hawks hit .172 percent on the match as the Owls tallied just a .101 hitting percentage.
 
The Purple and Gold return for the second day of action at the NYU Invite tomorrow, beginning at 12:30 a.m.