On Wednesday, October 18th, the University of Hartford women’s volleyball team suffered a 4 set defeat against Nichols College. Before Hartford could win a set, Nichols had already taken the lead after the first serve and had Hartford down two sets. They would ultimately lose to Nichols in 4 sets. Nichols had much more kills and assists during the match than Hartford, despite having more blocks and aces. On the Hartford team, only freshman Zahara Qurashi had more than ten kills. She has reached double digits in kills eight times this season. Qurashi’s star play was no match for Nichols, as they ran away with the match late, scoring eleven of the last fourteen to take the last match set. Nichols is now 13-7 on the season.
On Saturday, October 21st, the squad went to Amherst College to play the Mammoths. In the end, Hartford would lose in four sets once more, dropping to 3-8 on the year. With 23 kills and 10 digs, Zahara Qurashi recorded her fifth double-double of the campaign. She now has at least 15 kills in five consecutive games. With Jenna Murphy adding three further blocks, Isabella Labrada finished with a team-high four blocks and 12 digs. Amherst’s current season record is 7-10. On October 26, Hartford will resume play at home in West Hartford versus Suffolk University in a Black Out game.
