Eastern Connecticut State University volleyball secured a dominant straight-sets victory over the University of Hartford on Friday, September 11, winning 25-12, 25-17, and 25-16 on the road in West Hartford, Connecticut, according to University of Hartford Athletics and Eastern Connecticut State University Athletics reports.
Match Statistics and Offensive Performance
Eastern Connecticut (4-0) cruised past Hartford (3-2) by hitting .287 as a team while holding the Hawks to a .079 hitting percentage. The Warriors held Hartford to hitting .000 or worse in two of the three sets. On the offensive side, Eastern led in kills 42-23 and in service aces 8-2.
Senior Brooke Praskievicz posted a double-double for Eastern with team-highs in kills (13), digs (12), and service aces (4). Praskievicz was one of three Warriors to hit .400 or better in the match. Emma Robinson led the squad by hitting .588 with 11 kills, while Haley Jo Bridges hit .462 with eight kills. The Eastern offense was guided by Lauren Lacy, who tallied 16 assists, and Sonya Nielson, who added 14 assists.
For Hartford, junior Rylee Miller (Sunriver, Ore.), freshman Calla McCombs (Bloomfield, N.Y.), and junior players contributed kills during stretches where the Hawks attempted to find offensive momentum, according to University of Hartford Athletics.
Set-by-Set Breakdown
Eastern Connecticut opened the first set with a fast start, securing a 4-0 run and expanding to a 10-2 lead. An ace from Abby Piramo pushed the score to 12-3, and a subsequent 4-0 run featuring three straight kills from Praskievicz made it 17-6 before Sierra York finished off the 25-12 set with a kill.
Hartford mounted more resistance in the second set, pulling within one point at 9-8. Eastern responded with a 6-1 run capped by two kills from Bridges. Although Hartford used a run of its own to narrow the gap to 16-15, Eastern rattled off nine of the next eleven points to capture a 25-17 win and a commanding two-set lead.
In the third set, Eastern overcame a 5-0 deficit to pull ahead 10-7 and 14-8. After Hartford scored on a block, Eastern scored seven straight points with Nielsen serving to build a 21-9 advantage. Hartford cut the deficit to 24-16 before York once again closed out the set at 25-16 to complete the sweep.
Upcoming Schedule
Following Friday night’s match, Eastern Connecticut prepared to host a tri-match on Saturday, September 12, welcoming Trinity (CT) at 12 p.m. and Worcester State at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, Hartford entered the matchup looking ahead to a busy upcoming weekend schedule of early-season competition.
Related reading