Hempstead, NY - Redshirt freshman outside hitter Nikki Kinnier slammed down a match-high 14 kills and added six digs and a .423 hitting percentage to lead the Hofstra Volleyball team to its first win of the season, a three-set sweep of Iona on Wednesday evening at the Volleyball Venue in the Physical Education Building.
Set scores were 26-24, 25-15, 25-21 in favor of Hofstra, which improved to 1-3 this season. Iona falls to 2-2 with the loss.
Hofstra jumped out to a two sets to none lead in the match as the Pride hit at a blistering .403 clip through the first two sets. Kinnier led the way for the Pride as she notched 11 kills in the first two sets, and totaled a .474 hitting percentage.
In the first stanza, Iona led 12-7 midway through following a Hofstra service error before the Pride reeled off 11 of the next 17 points to tie the match at 18 on a kill from freshman outside hitter Shelby Young. The two squads would go back and forth until kills from graduate student outside hitter Marina Markovic and senior setter Rachel August allowed Hofstra to pull away for the narrow 26-24 victory.
It was all Hofstra in the second set as the Pride jumped out to a 4-0 lead, including a pair of kills from sophomore middle blocker Carolyn Jenkins, and never trailed in routing Iona, 25-15, to take the 2-0 lead in the match. Kinnier had six kills on nine attempts in the second set, while Jenkins added four kills on seven attempts.
The third set featured seven tie scores and four lead changes with Iona using a quick 4-0 run midway through the stanza to turn a 14-13 deficit into a 17-14 advantage. Hofstra would slowly chip away at the Gaels' lead and eventually knot the score at 21 following a kill from Young. In fact, Hofstra would end the set and the match with six straight points, including kills from Jenkins and Young to end the contest.
Joining Kinnier in double figures was Jenkins with 10 kills. August "quarterbacked" the Pride offense to the tune of 37 assists, while sophomore libero Kylee Maneja had 14 digs and senior defensive specialist Jenna Connell added 10 digs.
Colleen Genett posted 12 kills for the Gaels, while Theresa Harvey chipped in with nine kills and five digs.
Hofstra returns to action on Friday when they travel to the Thunder Invitational Tourney in Huntington, West Virginia. The Pride will open play at the tournament against Marshall at 7 p.m. on Friday.
