Hofstra Edges Cougars in Thrilling Five-Set CAA Quarterfinal

Thursday, November 18

Towson, Md.

6:30 PM

College of Charleston

16-12,9-7CAA

Hofstra

15-13,8-8CAA

Hofstra

Col. of Charleston

Hofstra Edges Cougars in Thrilling Five-Set CAA Quarterfinal

11/18/2021 11:52:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. --- Junior Lexi Wierzbicki led all hitters with 19 kills and Gabi Bailey posted her 12^th double-double of the season as College of Charleston's comeback effort fell just short in a thrilling five-set battle with Hofstra in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Thursday evening at SECU Arena.

No. 6 seed Hofstra (15-13) won the match by scores of 25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 24-26 and 15-13 to advance to Friday's semifinal round against second-seeded Elon. The Pride rallied from a 12-9 deficit in the fifth set after Charleston (16-12) fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force the decisive fifth frame. Hofstra finished the match with 58 kills, 19 blocks and a .244 hitting percentage; Charleston combined for 56 kills, seven blocks, six aces and a .112 attacking clip.

Critical Point
With Charleston holding a 12-9 advantage in the fifth set, Hofstra bounced back with three straight points to even the tally at 12-12 on a miscue by the Cougars. The Pride would go on to win the set, 15-13, and survive the comeback attempt in a hard-fought five-set battle.

Key Cougars

Wierzbicki reached double figures for the 12^th straight match with a match-high 19 kills on 51 swings. She also equaled her career-high with six digs to go along with three blocks.
Bailey turned in her team-leading 12^th double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs in addition to a match-high three aces.
Freshman Jasmin Goei accounted for a double-double of her own with 27 assists and 10 digs.
Redshirt junior Claire Campbell chipped in eight kills and four blocks.

Game Notes

The Cougars recorded 19 of their 56 kills in the fourth set and hit .304 in that frame.
Senior Molly Russell contributed four kills and three blocks in her final match with the Cougars.
Russell finishes her senior season with a .337 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth on the program's single-season list during the rally-scoring era. The Conroe, Texas native caps her career with 249 kills, 117 blocks and a .275 hitting percentage in 67 matches.
Bailey concludes the season with 44 service aces which is tied for seventh on the single-season list (rally-scoring era) and is the highest individual season total since Ginny Phillips' mark of 53 in 2010.
Senior Brooke Harris concludes her tenure as a Cougar having appeared in 142 sets across 51 matches with 376 assists, 230 digs and 20 service aces.

Up Next
The Cougars are expected to return 17 letter-winners from this year's squad including rising seniors Tori Carpenter, Logan Pope, Emma Falk, Caroline Pender, Cat Scmid, Bailey, Wierzbicki and Campbell.