BRONXVILLE, N.Y.- The Hunter College women's volleyball team competed in a pair of nonconference matches Saturday afternoon, facing SUNY Morrisville and host Sarah Lawrence College in a tri-match at the Campbell Sports Center.
Game 1: SUNY Morrisville 3, Hunter 0
The Hawks (4-5, 2-0 CUNYAC) opened the afternoon against SUNY Morrisville (15-2), falling in three sets, 25-13, 25-13 and 25-16.
Hunter battled early in the opening set but struggled to slow a strong Morrisville attack, dropping the frame, 25-13. The Hawks looked to respond in the second but were again held to 13 points as Morrisville took a 2-0 advantage.
Hunter put together its strongest offensive performance in the third set, recording nine kills with just one error for a .216 hitting percentage. The Hawks continued to battle but were unable to extend the match, falling 25-16 to close out the opener.
Varvara Kudinova led the Hunter attack with six kills while hitting .286. Kassidy Cruz Nuesi, Michelle Liu and Arianna Calderon Jimenez each added five kills, while Melissa Alfaro chipped in two kills and a block assist.
Sofia Marolla directed the offense with 21 assists, while Maya Cosmo led the defensive effort with 11 digs. Marris Cheng added seven digs and a team-high three service aces, while Calderon Jimenez contributed two aces.
Hunter finished the match with 24 kills, 23 assists, 29 digs and seven service aces.
Game 2: Sarah Lawrence 3, Hunter 1
Hunter (4-6, 2-0 CUNYAC) returned to the court later in the afternoon against host Sarah Lawrence (12-2), taking a marathon opening set before ultimately falling in four, 29-31, 25-21, 25-15 and 25-10.
The opening frame was a back-and-forth battle featuring 18 ties and 13 lead changes. Hunter put down 15 kills while hitting .245 and held strong in the closing points to earn a 31-29 victory and take an early lead in the match.
The Hawks continued to battle in the second, recording 10 kills with just two errors for a .235 hitting percentage. After another tightly contested start, Sarah Lawrence pulled away late for a 25-21 win to even the match.
Hunter was unable to regain its offensive rhythm over the final two sets. The Hawks dropped the third, 25-15, before Sarah Lawrence closed out the match with a 25-10 win in the fourth.
Kudinova paced Hunter with 10 kills while hitting .300. Calderon Jimenez followed with nine kills, four digs and two service aces, while Cruz Nuesi recorded six kills and a team-high three aces. Alfaro added five kills.
Marolla dished out 32 assists and added nine digs, while Cosmo anchored the back row with a match-high 21 digs. Natalie Morrill and Marina Goryuk each added eight digs.
Hunter finished the second match with 36 kills, 33 assists, 59 digs and eight service aces. The Hawks concluded the tri-match at 4-6 overall while remaining 2-0 in City University of New York Athletic Conference play.
Hunter returns to action on Oct. 5, for a nonconference road match at St. Joseph's University Brooklyn. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.
