Volleyball wins in thriller over Northeastern, falls to Hofstra

Friday night the VCU Rams won a close match against Northeastern University (30-27, 24-30, 30-18, 25-30,15-11).

The match was filled with intensity. The Rams went into the fourth game with a 2-1 lead over Northeastern.

“It was so exciting,” said Kenn Washington, announcer for the game.

The Rams fought hard but lost the fourth game to Northeastern.

“It wasn’t pretty,” added assistant coach Amanda Olivas, referring to the game. “I knew it was going to take our leaders out there being on key to win the fifth game,” she stated.

That’s exactly what happened.

In game 5, the Rams pulled together and tallied 11 attacks against the Huskies, who were only able to return four of them. The Rams won the fifth and final game with a score of 15-11.

Coach James Finley pushed his players to tough out the final game and win the match.

“Well we just toughed it out,” he said. “I asked them what kind of character they had. It’s the time of the year that you have to find a way to win. It was really an issue of finding a way (to win).”

With six freshmen on the court at times, this year’s volleyball team is young compared to others in the Colonial Athletic Association. The coaches don’t view them as novices.

Assistant coach Andrea Fischer stated “I don’t think of them as freshmen anymore.” She continued, saying the girls have been playing like upperclassmen for quite some time.

There to support the Rams was former player Megan McNees. McNees, who suffered an injury last season, stated “the more they play together the better they get.”

McNees said of the freshmen, “they are all six equally talented.”

“(Ludmilla Francescatto – Fraiburga, Brazil) knows where to place the ball and she jumps really high,” McNees said.

Francescatto led the team with 18 kills.

After the victory over Northeastern Friday, VCU fell to league-leading Hofstra 3-2 (30-26, 20-30, 26-30, 30-22, 12-15), with the Pride snapping the Rams four-match win streak.

With the loss, VCU stands at 8-6 in the conference and 16-10 overall.

Down two games, the Rams forced a fifth game under the leadership of Francescatto, who again led the team with 25 kills, as well as notching 21 digs.

There to support his fellow athletes was junior track team member John Rollins, who competes in the decathlon.

“I think it’s important to support the team that you believe in,” he stated.

Finley said he believes in his squad and that they have yet to reach their apex.

“Our goal is to get into the NCAA Tournament,” he said after Friday night’s match. “I do not believe we have even peaked yet. We’ve got to find a way to play well in the (upcoming) games.”

The Rams look to fulfill their coach’s goal when they travel to play George Mason and James Madison next weekend.