Union, NJ – The women's volleyball suffered two losses earlier this afternoon after being defeated by both Kean and New Paltz in a tri-match. In the first game against Kean, they were blanked 3-0 and then lost in five to New Paltz. The Hawks record now stands at 2-7 overall.
Game 1 vs. Kean (L 3-0 | 25-22, 25-16, 25-21)
Brittany Wang led the Hawks offensively with seven kills while
Mariam Ouattara tallied four blocks on defense.
Justine Smith registered 16 assists as the setter.
Hunter fell behind from the get-go, trailing 5-1 in the early stages of the first set. Despite closing to within three points, Kean rattled off five straight points to extend their lead to 16-9, a seven point advantage the Hawks would not be able to recover from. The hosts ended the set on a 5-1 run.
With two Kean errors, an ace from
Alexa Sayson and a kill from Wang, the Purple and Gold came out with a 4-3 lead in the second. The two sides traded points and were knotted at 10 apiece. However, a late 5-1 host run proved to be too much to overcome as the Hawks fell in the second.
In the third, Hunter found themselves up 11-6 and then held a two-point advantage at the 16-14 mark. However, five straight points from Kean wound up being the difference maker as the hosts finished their sweep.
Game 2 vs. New Paltz (L 3-2 | 25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-9)
In the five-set thriller, Wang once again led on the offensive end with 16 kills while Ouattara and
Beverly Wong each added nine a piece. Smith registered a career high 41 assists in the loss while
Erin Hyman set a game high 21 digs.
The first set was played very close throughout. Wong's kill brought the Hawks to within two at the 15-13 mark but a 5-1 New Paltz run ultimately proved the difference maker. Hunter had a late 3-0 run but it was too little too late as they fell in the first.
Set two proved to be another tight contest. Knotted at 21 late, two New Paltz errors gave the Purple and Gold a slim two point advantage. With a little more help from their opponents, the Hawks forced two more New Paltz errors to come away with the 25-22 set victory.
After leading at the 14-13 mark, Hawks relinquished their lead and were unable to recover. They pulled to within two late but New Paltz ended with a kill and an ace to make it a 2-1 affair.
It was the opposite story in the fourth with the Purple and Gold using a 6-0 run, book-ended by kills from Sayson and Wong, to go up 11-4. Although New Paltz pulled to within one at 12-11, Hunter was able to hold on for the set win.
In the fifth and final set, Hunter found themselves up 9-6 but New Paltz rattled off nine unanswered points to put the nail in the coffin.
The Purple and Gold return to the court on Thursday, October 7 when they travel to Patchogue, NY for a non-conference contest against St. Joseph's. First serve will be at 7pm.
