HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - The Stony Brook volleyball team racked up a season-high 14 blocks on the way to a three-set victory (26-24, 25-22, 26-24) against the Hofstra Pride on Sunday at David S. Mack Physical Education Center. Ava Jackson tallied 13 kills on the day to lead the Seawolves attack while finishing with a hitting percentage of .393. Defensively, Stony Brook had four players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by Kali Moore's 13, while Leoni Kunz added 12 and Julia Patsos chipped in with 11. From the front row, Ayanna Pierre Louis contributed a career-high 10 blocks to secure the weekend sweep over the Pride.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Seawolves took control on the first point and held the lead the rest of the way to narrowly secure the first set, 26-24. Stony Brook led by as many as four points in the set at 19-15 after a block by Moore and Pierre Louis. Also, the squad got a standout defensive performance from a front row that blocked eight Hofstra attacks in the stanza, including five by Pierre Louis. They also capitalized on 10 Hofstra attacking errors on the way to victory. Katie Hickey pushed the Seawolves to victory after recording a kill at 24-24 and followed with the set-winning block to secure the opening set.
SET 2 | Stony Brook took the second set 25-22 to promptly grab a 2-0 lead. The Seawolves grabbed the advantage for good at 22-21 after a service ace by Kunz in a set that had just one lead change before the Seawolves took over in the second half of the stanza. The squad secured the set by tallying six of the final seven points.
SET 3 | Stony Brook finished off the match in a 3-0 sweep after taking the third set. The Seawolves persevered in a back-and-forth set to win 26-24 in a stanza that featured five lead changes and was tied 10 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way. Stony Brook's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Hofstra attacks in the stanza, including three from Pierre Louis.
STATS AND NOTES
- Stony Brook had four players in double figures in digs (Moore, Kunz, Patsos and Torri Henry)
- Kunz had a match-high three aces in the win.
- Pierre Louis had a match-high and career-high 10 blocks.
- The Stony Brook front row picked up 14 blocks in the match, the most of the season in any match for the Seawolves.
- The Seawolves' blockers excelled in a first-set win, shutting down eight Hofstra attacks.
- Jackson had a team-high 13 kills for Stony Brook. She now has 10 or more kills in five of her last six matches.
- Stony Brook got a team-high 13 digs from Moore. She has double-figure digs in four of her last six matches.
- Stony Brook attackers were helped by a team-high 28 assists from Henry. She has recorded at least 20 assists in every match this season.
- The conference win improved Stony Brook's record to 16-13 overall and 11-7 in CAA action.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Proud is an understatement," head coach Kristin Belzung said. "I thought our team played disciplined and together today and all weekend. We are excited to get the opportunity to compete as a team again next week. There's nothing like the postseason and this group has earned an opportunity to fight for a championship."
NEXT UP
The Seawolves will head to Towson University for the CAA Championships beginning next Thursday. Stony Brook earned the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 Charleston on Thursday at 4 p.m.
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