HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Northeastern volleyball jumped out to an early edge before Hofstra rallied to close it out in five, 3-2 (22-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13), at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center on Saturday.
The Huskies drew first blood, taking the opener 25-22, but Hofstra answered right back with a tight 26-24 win in the second to even the match. Northeastern regained the upper hand in the third, winning 25-20 to move within a set of the upset, but the Pride turned the tables from there, taking the fourth 25-18 and closing out the match with a 15-13 win in the decider.
Valentina Meirelles paced Northeastern's attack with 16 kills on a .250 clip, good for 19.5 points. Cayenne Ceman was right behind her with 17 kills and 17.5 points, while also setting the tone defensively with 44 digs on the reception end. Emma Rowell added 11 kills, and Beatrice Gennari was efficient all night, hitting .400 on 6 kills.
Setter Arina Sosinovica directed the offense, dishing a team-high 30 assists, while libero Aven Crosby paced the Huskies defensively with 15 digs.
As a team, Hofstra edged Northeastern in kills, 66-64, but the Huskies won the battle at the net, out-blocking the Pride 10-9 — a testament to how competitive the match was from start to finish, with 23 tie scores and 13 lead changes across the five sets, even as Hofstra's Beatriz Braga turned in a monster 26-kill, 28.5-point performance to ultimately tip the balance late.
Northeastern returns home to host Stony Brook on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cabot Center.
