NEW YORK- The Hunter College women's volleyball team hosted Farmingdale State College in its home opener on Tuesday evening, falling in a tightly contested four-set match, 25-27, 25-15, 25-21, 27-25.
The Hawks (0-2) were up by as many as eight in the opening set at 19-11 before the Rams (3-1) went on a late run to tie it at 25. Hunter was strong under pressure, as Michelle Liu notched a pair of kills to secure the first set, 27-25. The Hawks hit .355 in the frame with 14 kills and just three errors.
Farmingdale came out strong in the second set, quickly jumping out to a 10-5 lead. Despite four kills apiece from Liu and Arianna Calderon Jimenez, the Hawks were unable to close the gap as the visitors took the set, 25-15.
Hunter came within striking distance towards the end of the third set at 23-21 but was unable to complete the comeback in the final points, narrowly dropping the set, 25-21.
The Purple and Gold once again battled from behind in the fourth. After trailing down the stretch, Hunter pulled even at 21 before River Sutch came up with a kill following a long rally to give the Hawks their first lead since 6-5. The two teams continued to exchange points late and found themselves tied again at 25 before Farmingdale took the final two points for a 27-25 victory, closing out the match in four sets. The final frame featured eight ties and three lead changes.
Liu and Kassidy Cruz Nuesi led the Hunter attack with 11 kills apiece, while Sutch added 10 kills and 12 digs for a double-double. Cruz Nuesi was highly efficient, hitting .588 with just one error on 17 attempts while also adding four total blocks and two service aces. Calderon Jimenez finished just shy of a double-double with nine kills and a team-high 14 digs, while Melissa Alfaro added five kills on a .444 hitting percentage.
Sofia Marolla directed the offense with a match-high 43 assists while adding 10 digs. Hunter finished with 46 kills, 44 assists, 59 digs, eight service aces and 11 total blocks in the home opener.
The Hawks return to the court Thursday, Sept. 17, as they host St. Joseph's Long Island. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. in the Sportsplex.
