Junior Robin Helms delivered a career-best ten kills, but it wasn’t enough for the Hartford volleyball team as it dropped a 3-0 decision at Stony Brook on Sunday. The Hawks (4-18 overall) fall to 2-7 in the America East, while the Seawolves (12-11) improve to 6-3 in conference play. Hartford fought hard until the end, with the outcome not swinging in the Hawks’ favor.
In the first set, The Hawks used a 4-0 spurt to cut a 14-8 deficit down to 14-12, and pulled within one at 16-15 late in the set, but were unable to get over the hump down the stretch. Stony Brook put the pedal to the metal with Erin Garr on the service line, scoring nine of the final 10 points to take the opening set victory, 25-16. The Hawks’ were hungry for a second set victory, both teams took the court, and the second set was underway.
Building an early lead, Stony Brook pushed ahead by a 13-7 count to force Hartford to call for a timeout. After regrouping, the Hawks rallied for back-to-back points and pulled within four on a kill from junior Maddie Lindsay and blocks from junior Robin Helms and sophomore Morgan Galligan, but they wouldn’t get any closer. Scoring each of the next three points to push ahead, 16-9, the Seawolves coasted to the 25-18 victory. Hartford had one last set to try and make one count.
Junior Sara Gasparotto came off the bench to provide a huge spark for the Hawks in the third set. Hartford, which hung tough in that stretch, used a 4-0 run sparked by back-to-back kills from Gasparotto to take a late 18-17 edge. However, with the score knotted up at 19-19, Stony Brook posted another strong finish, as it used a 6-2 run to seal the sweep.
Hartford returns home to host Binghamton on Friday evening. The first serve is set for 7 p.m. from the Hartford Volleyball Gym. The Hawks look to complete the regular-season sweep of the Bearcats, as they took a 3-1 decision in Vestal, N.Y. earlier this month (Oct. 10).