VCU loses 1-3 to Hofstra Pride
A night after dropping a tight 2-3 match to Northeastern, VCU needed something to pick them up Saturday.
Thanks to red-hot Hofstra Pride and a struggling defense, the Rams didn’t get it. They lost 3-1 at the Alltel Pavilion, slipping the Rams to 6-5 this season and to 2-2 in the Colonial
Athletic Association.
A night after dropping a tight 2-3 match to Northeastern, VCU needed something to pick them up Saturday.
Thanks to red-hot Hofstra Pride and a struggling defense, the Rams didn’t get it. They lost 3-1 at the Alltel Pavilion, slipping the Rams to 6-5 this season and to 2-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“We don’t have time to worry about the losses. We didn’t execute well last night,” said head coach James Finley. “We didn’t execute well tonight.”
The loss subdued a season-high crowd that came to celebrate back-to-back wins against Hofstra following the Rams’ defeat of the top-ranked Pride in the CAA Tournament semifinals last year. That win ultimately led the Rams to VCU’s first conference championship in 20 years.
The VCU volleyball team rammed through their first two games of the Colonial Athletic Association season, but when they met Northeastern and Hofstra over the weekend, their weight shifted and the tides turned.
Coach James Finley speculated Aug. 28 in the Commonwealth Times that the better teams the Rams were set to face, might give them their best games, expecting the same performance from the titleholders as last year.
With many more games left in the CAA season, the Rams still have control over their destiny. Considering Northeastern and Hofstra have good records, the volleyball team may still hold its title as long as they continually adapt to their opponents’ strengths and play formlessly.
VCU and Hofstra were picked to finish first and second, respectively, in this year’s preseason CAA coaches’ poll.
“At the beginning of the season, the numbers don’t mean anything,” said Pride head coach Lauren Netherby about the rankings.
“Last year (VCU) had a completely different team. They were tremendous,” Netherby said, suggesting that the Rams “tremendous offense” this year would be tough for the Pride to overcome.
From the start the Pride appeared more energized than the Rams, beginning the match with a pump-up cheer reminiscent of the Washington Redskins’ “Fun Bunch” end zone dance of the early ’80s.
In the first set, the Pride melted an 18-16 Ram lead with 10 unanswered points. The Rams briefly paused the run by scoring two points, but could not stop the Pride from taking the set 30-20. The shell-shocked Rams committed 12 errors, hitting just .028 with 13 kills on 36 attempts.
“We weren’t tired,” said sophomore outside hitter Ana Luiza Bernardes de Borja. “We tried to get things working, but sometimes (things) don’t work.”
The Rams’ confidence grew as they took an early lead in the second set. They then stumbled, allowing the Pride to tie the set 12-12. The two teams traded points before the Rams were able to break away and take the set 30-25. Improving to a .455 attack percentage, they had 19 kills on 33 attempts with just four errors.
However, the Rams were not able to ride their newfound energy into the third set, losing it 30-26. They fell behind early, and despite a concerted effort were not able to close the gap. They hit a modest .217 with just 16 kills on 46 attempts and 4 errors.
As the fourth set began the Rams were flattened, playing as if they were one step behind the ball. Pulling together, they tied the set 14-14 before stumbling again, handing the Pride a 27-21 advantage.
But with impressive style, the Rams dug deep, winning eight of the next 10 points to tie the fourth set 29-29. Back from the brink, they forced four match points before losing the set and the match.
“We feel horrible losing at home,” said sophomore setter Cat Juson. “We’ll take it to them at their house next time.”
The Rams hit a total .182 attack percentage with 54 kills on 154 attempts and 31 errors. The Pride finished .288 with 59 kills on 153 attempts and 22 errors.
“We have a long way to go,” said senior outside hitter Ludmila Francescatto. “We can’t lose any more games if we want to be first.”
De Borja agreed. “Without a doubt we can finish (first) this season. Without a doubt,” she said.
Nearly every player on the team said the key to returning to the top was passing the ball.
Senior outside hitter Renata Salvatori explained: “We are going to work on what we missed – work on passing the ball. We’re having trouble setting the ball. But all our problems come from our troubles passing.”
A notable bright spot in the contest was Rams newcomer Erin Burnette’s enthusiastic ability to make flying attacks at the net. Relatively short on a team whose average height is 6 feet, the 5-foot-9 junior can nearly extend her range to 10 feet.
“I was measured to make 9-8,” said the outside hitter. “But in a game like this – with all the adrenaline – I probably could go 9-10.”
Burnette finished the game with three kills in nine attempts and four errors.
VCU has dropped nine of 10 matches against Hofstra since the two began playing in 2001. The Rams will face Hofstra at home in Hempstead, N.Y., in late October.