College of Charleston
Hofstra
Volleyball Downs Hofstra, Wins Regular Season CAA Crown
11/15/2014 5:05:00 AM | Volleyball
HEAMPSTEAD, N.Y. – For the fourteenth consecutive season, College of Charleston volleyball clinched either a regular season or conference tournament championship title on Friday night, after the Cougars downed the Pride of Hofstra University in an emotional five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-14, 22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10) to claim the 2014 Colonial Athletic Association regular season title.
“I'm just really proud of this group,” said head coach Jason Kepner. “We came here to with the intent to win a conference championship and that was probably one of the better matches we've played all year. Everybody played great for us tonight – I'm just really proud of this team and the way they came out and performed.”
Senior Cara Howley led the way for the Cougars offensively, hitting at a sensational .481 clip en route to 16 kills, while junior Melissa Morello also impressed, continuing her string of great performances with 15 kills of her own. Ever-consistent senior right-side hitter Sloane White notched 14 put-aways and middle blocker Catey Warren had one of the best performances of her Cougar career, hitting .429 with eight kills and seven blocks. Orchestrating the attack was senior setter Kallie McKown, who dished out 32 assists, helping her team to a .316 overall hitting percentage.
Defensively, senior libero Andi Zbojniewicz was tremendous, picking up 25 digs against a Hofstra attack rated as one of the conference's best. Howley, Morello and White combined for 10 blocks along the front row, while freshman setter Mackenzie Cooler dished out 22 assists and chipped in with three blocks of her own.
The Cougars came out flying in the opening game, hitting .312 as a team, getting quality block touches and digging up anything in sight on their way to a comprehensive, 25-14 game one victory.
It would get more difficult from there, however, as Hofstra – who entered the match with the best overall record of anyone in the CAA – came roaring to life, overcoming a combined .376 hitting percentage from the Cougars to take games two and three, 25-22 and 25-23, respectively.
With their backs to wall and the match on the line, the Cougars managed to force a fifth set with a courageous 25-18 game four victory, before all eyes turned to the deciding fifth frame.
In the most highly-anticipated conference match of the season, it was fitting perhaps that the match went five, and with both teams just 15 points away from a regular season title, the nervous energy in the Mack Center was certainly palpable.
After CofC jumped out to a quick 2-1 lead, the Cougars were then awarded a third after Hofstra middle blocker Nuria Lopez Da Silva was shown a red card for dissent. Up 3-1 then, the Cougars fought off a mini run for the home side to take a 7-4 lead midway through following another Cara Howley kill and an attack error from Hofstra's Kelsie Wills. The match stayed tight as the Cougars could extend their lead no further than two, until back-to-back kills from Howley and Cooler put CofC on the brink at 14-10. Fittingly, it was Howley who hammered home the winner, sending the Cougars in to championship delirium, clinching the 2014 regular season crown and earning the right to host the 2014 CAA Championship.
“I'm thrilled that we're going to host the tournament,” said Kepner after the match. “It'll be great for us to be in our own building. The team will be able to utilize their own locker room – their own training room, so I love the fact that we have the opportunity to host the CAA Championship in Charleston for a second consecutive year.”
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