Opening day of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship did not disappoint as the quarterfinals played out in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
In the first quarterfinal match, No. 3 seed James Madison held on for a five-set win over Elon. In the second, it was Hofstra edging out Northeastern in five after rallying from down 0-2.
Day 1 Scores
#3 Seed James Madison def. #6 Seed Elon 3-2 (28-30, 25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9)
Hofstra def. Northeastern 3-2 (18-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 21-19)
James Madison 3, Elon 2
- James Madison (16-16) moves on to the semifinals to face Charleston; Elon ends the season at 21-5
- Box Score
Key Stats: JMU put up 13 blocks and backed that with a .245 hitting effort, while holding on for the five-set win. The Dukes bested Elon in kills (70-65), hitting perentage (.245 to .132) and blocks (13-4).
Key Players: Junior outside Bryn Recker put down 22 kills to lead a group of four James Madison hitters in double-digits. Redshirt sophomore outside Kelly Vahos added a 13-kill, 16-dig double-double. Senior libero Taylor Austin pulled up a match-high 34 digs. Sophomore middle M’Kaela White notched 10 kills and a team-best seven blocks, followed by sophmore setter Sarah Martin (6) and junior middle Taylor Gail (5).
Senior outside Sydney Busa, an All-CAA first team selection, led all hitters with a standout effort on offense and defense with a 23-kill, 22-dig double-double. Junior outside Kam Terry chipped in a 19-kill, 17-dig double-double. Junior libero Maddie Jaudon notched a team-best 24 digs.
It Was Over When: The Dukes scored nine of the last 12 points in the victory, after breaking a 6-all tie in the final set. Recker turned in out down the final stretch with three kills and a block, while Gill chipped in two kills, including the final point.
Next Up: JMU advances to the semifinals to play No. 2 seed Towson at 4:05 p.m. Friday
Hofstra 3, Northeastern 2
- Hofstra moves to 18-13 and advances to the semifinals to play College of Charleston on Friday; Northeastern ends the season at 17-13
- Box Score
- Hofstra Recap / Northeastern Recap
Key Stats: The teams combined for 31 blocks in the match, with Hofstra boasting a 16-15 edge. Northeastern outhit Hofstra .184 to .152 and notched seven more kills (63-56), but fell victim to six Hofstra aces, while managing just one.
Key Players: Sophomore outside Laura Masciullo turned in an 18-kill, 10-dig double-double to pace the Pride. Freshman outside Ivania Ortiz added 12 kills and 13 digs, while junior middle Michela Rucli chipped in 11 putaways. Freshman middle Sanne Maring put up a match-high 13 blocks, while senior middle Doris Bogoje added eight stuffs. Sophomore setter Luisa Sydlik notched a 50-assist, 16-dig double-double to lead the backcourt defense.
Sophomore middle Amy Underdown pounded down a match-high 25 kills and added 17 digs and four blocks, but it was not enough to lift the Huskies to victory. Senior outside Brigitte Burcescu (12) and freshman middle Gabrielle Tschannen (10) followed offensively. Tschannen hit at a team-best .450 clip and notched nine stuffs. Junior libero Gabrielle Eyl pulled up a match-high 23 digs.
It Was Over When: A service error and a Masciullo kill gave Hofstra the win on its seventh match-point try. The Pride had the first shot at the match at 14-12 after a Husky hitting error. A service error and hitting error tied the score at 14. Hofstra had two more tries, before Northeastern earned its first at 17-16 and another at 18-17. The Pride closed out the match with four of the final five points.
Next up: Hofstra moves on to the semifinals to face No. 1 seeded College of Charleston at 7:05 p.m. ET Friday.
My oh my!
Hey @ncaavolleyball check out this winning point in a comeback 5-set victory for @hofstravb#CAAChamps pic.twitter.com/B8mK46OUy3
— CAASports (@CAASports) November 17, 2017
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