Wills? Double-Double Leads #4 Hofstra Past #5 William & Mary 3-0

Wills? Double-Double Leads #4 Hofstra Past #5 William & Mary 3-0

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TOWSON, Md. (November 16, 2012) - All-CAA First Team selection Kelsie Wills recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 20 digs to lead No. 4 Hofstra to a 3-0 sweep of No. 5 William & Mary in Friday's second quarterfinal of the 2012 CAA Volleyball Championship. The Pride will face top-seeded Towson in tomorrow's second semifinal at 7:00 p.m.

Sophomore outside hitter Emily Burke added eight kills for the Pride (19-13, 6-6 CAA), while senior libero Kylee Maneja tallied 17 digs. Junior outside hitter Julia Swalchick led William & Mary (13-14, 5-7 CAA) with eight kills, while senior setter Molly Krull finished with a team-high of 16 assists while chipping in eight digs.

Hofstra got off to a quick start with a 10-5 run to begin the game. The Pride didn't surrender the lead during the first set and picked a 25-23 victory to earn a 1-0 lead in the match heading into the second-set. Wills tallied three kills and five digs in the opening frame.

The Pride would keep the momentum rolling in the second set and earned their biggest lead of the match at 18-8. The Tribe would cut the lead to six late in the set, but Hofstra ended the set on a 5-4 run and picked up the 25-18 victory to increase its match lead to 2-0. 

William & Mary earned its largest lead of the game in the third set at 18-11 and led the majority of the set. However after tying the game at 21-21 the Pride finished the game on a 4-2 run and sealed the victory with a kill from Burke.

Wills finished the game with a .353 hitting percentage, well over her season average of .179. Also for the Pride, senior captain Nikki Kinnier tallied six kills and two digs, while senior setter Catalina Charry chipped in nine digs. Redshirt-sophomore outside hitter Paulette Grand Pre finished with five kills and seven digs for W&M, while CAA Rookie of the Year Dessi Koleva added three kills and four digs.

Hofstra will be looking to snap Towson's 18 match winning streak in tomorrow's semifinal matchup. The Tigers knocked off the Pride 3-0 in its lone regular season matchup on October 19th.