CHARLESTON, S.C. – In its conference opener, sophomore middle blocker Kennedy Madison (Evansville, Ind.) made a team-high 15 kills as the College of Charleston volleyball team used a balanced attack to down CAA rival Hofstra in four sets, 25-20, 25-14, 20-25, 31-29, on Friday night at TD Arena.
 
The Cougars (8-5, 1-0 CAA) hit .214 for the match converting on 14-of-32 attempts in the second set (.375) which gave the team a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Devon Rachel (Louisville, Ky.) and junior transfer Riana Brennan (Los Gatos, Calif.) both had double-double performances against the Pride (10-4, 0-1 CAA). Rachel recorded 10 kills and 22 digs, while Brennan had 10 kills and 25 digs.
 
Defensively, the Cougars made a season-high 25 blocks behind six each from senior middle blocker Maddie Hills (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and Rachel that included one solo at the net.
 
Sophomore libero McKala Rhodes (Charleston, S.C.) also made crucial digs (17) in the back row including the fourth and deciding set where the Cougars had four chances at match point.
 
"We had a balanced attack tonight," CofC Head Coach Jason Kepner said. "The key to success is having balance. I was also happy with how we played in the first two games. We made a lot of big plays at the end and it was a great start to conference play."
 
CofC avenged a regular-season series sweep last season by Hofstra dropping a five-set thriller at home. Both teams also let met in the first round of last year's CAA Championship.
 
Up next, the Cougars will host Northeastern (10-4, 1-0 CAA) on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena. Admission is free to the public and live statistics will be available at: www.CofCStats.com.