Hofstra Wins in 5 to Take CAA Tournament Title, Earn First NCAA Berth Since 2014

  0 volleymob | November 18th, 2018 | College - Women's Indoor, Division I Mid-Major, News

Hofstra def. James Madison 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 21-25, 15-10)

  • Hofstra wins Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Title, league’s automatic berth to NCAAs
  • Hofstra moves to 25-7; James Madison moves to 22-7
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • Box Score

Courtesy: Hofstra Athletics

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Colonial Athletic Association Championship Most Outstanding Player Laura Masciullo slammed down a match-high 25 kills and CAA All-Tournament selection Michela Rucli tallied a career-high 20 kills as the Hofstra Volleyball captured the 2018 CAA Championship with a five-set win over James Madison on Sunday afternoon at the F. Mitchell Johnson Center on the campus of the College of Charleston. Senior Nanishka Perez also earned a spot on the All-Tournament team with a 10-kill, 14-dig effort in the championship match. Rucli also went over the 1,000-kill mark for her career in the match and now has 1,018.

With the win, Hofstra advances to the NCAA Tournament and will bring a nine-match win streak into the NCAA Championship. The Pride will be making its ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2014. It is also Hofstra’s fourth CAA title.

The win moves Hofstra’s record to 25-7, while James Madison sees its season come to an end with a 22-7 record. Set scores were 24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 21-25 and 15-10.

The two teams split the first two sets and the third set was deadlocked at eight before Hofstra took complete control of the pivotal set with an incredible 13-0 run that made it 21-8. The run would be 17-3 in total as Hofstra took a 25-11 win in the third set.

James Madison would earn the win in the fourth set and the two teams would head to a fifth set for the second time this season. Hofstra took complete control at the onset of the final stanza as Perez stepped to the service line and pushed the Pride to the first seven points of the set. Rucli and Masciullo each had a pair of kills during the run to give Hofstra the commanding lead. James Madison closed the gap to five, 12-7, later in the set, before Hofstra stopped any thoughts of a comeback by the Dukes and Masciullo ended the match with her 25th kill.

Senior Doris Bogoje posted 12 kills and three blocks for the Pride, while freshman Aisha Skinner notched 11 kills. Senior Caylie Denham posted a match-high 17 digs for Hofstra, while junior Luisa Sydlik had a career-high 68 assists along with 12 digs.

Briley Brind-Amour had 15 kills for James Madison and Sarah Martin notched 38 assists, nine digs and three blocks.

The NCAA Championship Selection Show will air on ESPNU on Sunday, November 25 at 8:30 p.m.

NOTES
– Hofstra is 26-16 all-time against James Madison. The teams split the season series with each winning on their respective home courts.
– Hofstra’s previous NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2012 and 2014.
– Hofstra’s previous CAA Championships came in 2006, 2012 and 2014.

Courtesy: James Madison Athletics

CHARLESTON, S.C. – James Madison volleyball fell in five sets (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 21-25, 15-10) to Hofstra in the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association championship match on Sunday afternoon.

The Dukes (22-7) fought for the first set victory but dropped the next two to the Pride (25-7) before taking the fourth set to force a fifth. The two squads tied for the regular-season CAA title after both going 13-3 in conference action.

Junior Briley Brind’Amour led the Dukes with her 15 kills while junior Sarah Martin posted a team-leading 38 assists. Junior Sarah Driscoll and freshman Savannah Marshall notched 17 digs apiece to lead the day and senior Taylor Gail topped the match with six blocks.

MATCH NOTES
M’Kaela White also notched double-digit kills with 12 on the match.
– Both White and Brind’Amour hit over .300 with .476 and .389 clips, respectively.
Bryn Recker (9) and Kelly Vahos (8) also contributed significantly offensively.
– Recker was one kill off her 16th double-double of the season as she added 10 digs.
– A new career high was set with Marshall’s 17 digs.
– Martin and Tilbe Yaglioglu each tallied nine digs.
– White served up three aces to lead the match while Yaglioglu, Driscoll and Marshall had one apiece.
– Including her six blocks today, Gail places second all-time for her 414 career block assists and fourth all-time for her 451 total career blocks.
– The Dukes hit .367 in the second set and .417 in the fourth set.
– JMU posted nine blocks to Hofstra’s five.

HOW IT HAPPENED
– It was a close first set until the Dukes jumped ahead with a 6-0 run with kills from Vahos and Brind’Amour, two Pride attack errors and a Brind’Amour/Gail block. Hofstra caught back up and it was neck-and-neck until back-to-back Recker kills sealed the first set for JMU.
– The Pride used multiple small runs to cushion their advantage and, though the Dukes picked up points here and there, Hofstra tied the match at a set apiece.
– Hofstra utilized a 13-1 run to take a huge 21-9 lead from which JMU couldn’t recover.
– The squads spent the fourth set trading points until the very end when two Hofstra errors helped JMU force a fifth set.
– Hofstra began the fifth frame with seven consecutive points. The Dukes thwarted two match points thanks to a White kill and a crucial block from White and Martin, but it wasn’t enough and the Pride prevailed.

CHAMPIONSHIP HONORS
– Leading the Dukes with 32 kills on the weekend, Briley Brind’Amour was added to the All-Tournament team. She hit .338 over two matches and notched four total blocks.
– M’Kaela White also earned a spot on the All-Tournament team. She recorded 26 kills and hit .382. She amassed 14 total blocks, including three solo blocks, and had three service aces.

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