United Volleyball Conference Hobart Athletic Communications

No. 19 Hobart Falls in pair of Five-Set Thrillers to No. 13 New Paltz and No. 3 Juniata

HUNTINGDON, PA —The 19th-ranked Hobart volleyball team dropped back-to-back five-set matches this afternoon as it took on No. 13 New Paltz and No. 3 Juniata in the inaugural Kevin Pratte Foundation Invitational. With the losses, the Statesmen fall to 3-4 on the season, while the Hawks improve to 3-1 and the Eagles remain undefeated and move to 9-0 on the season.
 
Through two matches, junior Daniel Sappia led Hobart with 24 kills, 15 digs, three blocks and two service aces. Classmate Aiden Kemora added 24 kills, 14 digs, seven blocks and an ace, while Noah DeLong chipped in 17 kills, six digs, four blocks and two service aces.
 
Sophomore middle Alain Malcolm recorded 16 kills, seven blocks and four digs, while first-year Harry Fromberg added 15 kills, four blocks and a dig. Sophomore Kian Kischke had a standout day for the Statesmen and added 12 kills, 14 blocks, two service aces and one dig.
 
Junior Zack Farren led Hobart from the setter position, combining for 51 assists and three digs, while first-year Charlie Dugan added 44 assists, nine digs and one service ace. Junior libero Gavin Meador combined for 33 digs on the afternoon.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (New Paltz):
  • The opening set was a back-and-forth battle between the Hawks and the Statesmen. Hobart put down nine kills (.190) as a team and were led by Kemora with five (.571), but New Paltz fought back with 10 kills (.077) of their own and closed out set one on top 26-24 thanks to a big kill from Tenedorio.
  • The Statesmen bounced back in set two and put down 12 kills (.259), while holding the Hawks to nine kills (.333). Despite a late comeback from New Paltz, a kill from DeLong would close out the second set in favor of Hobart 25-22.
  • Hobart continued on its momentum in the third set and put on an impressive performance, combining for 13 kills (.400) as a team. The Statesmen held the Hawks to nine kills (.071) as they took a 2-1 lead with a 25-22 win in set three.
  • New Paltz bounced back in the must-win fourth set with 14 kills (.267). Hobart put down 11 kills (.233) but a late push by the Hawks would close out set four on top 25-23, forcing a decisive fifth set.
  • The fifth set was a back-and-forth battle between Hobart and New Paltz, forcing the decisive fifth set to extra points. A late surge from the Hawks sent the match to extra points, where New Paltz closed out the match on top, 22-20.
Match stats:
  • Kemora led the Statesmen with 17 kills (.351) in the loss. Sappia added 14 kills (.273), while DeLong chipped in eight (.333). Fromberg recorded seven kills (.000) in the five-set thriller.
  • Farren ran Hobart's offense and recorded 27 assists and one dig in the loss. Dugan added 25 assists and five digs through five sets.
  • The Statesmen combined for 40 digs and were led by Meador's 15. Kemora chipped in seven digs, while DeLong added six. Dugan recorded five digs in the loss.
  • Hobart held a 12-5 advantage in blocks and was led by Kischke with seven. Malcolm and Kemora added three blocks each for the Statesmen.
Match 2 (Juniata):
  • The back-and-forth battle continued in the second match of the day as Hobart put down 13 kills (.167) compared to Juniata's eight (.192). The Statesmen racked up eight hitting errors in the opening set, handing the Eagles a tight 25-23 win.
  • Juniata's offense came alive in the second set as it put down a match-high 18 kills (.333) compared to Hobart's 13 (.370). This time, the errors plagued the Eagles though as they racked up seven hitting errors thanks to a big block by the Statesmen. A 3-0 scoring run would close out set two in favor of Hobart 27-25.
  • The Eagles responded well in the third set as they grabbed back the lead with a 25-22 win in set three. Both sides put down 11 kills and tallied six hitting errors but a block by Dante Palombo and Will Sierer closed out the set in favor of Juniata.
  • In the must-win fourth set, Hobart put on an impressive performance, putting down eight kills (.077) and holding the Eagles to just seven kills (-.129). Juniata collected 11 hitting errors in the fourth set, handing the Statesmen a dominant 25-16 win to send the match to a decisive fifth set.
  • Juniata jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the final set and never looked back. The Statesmen tried chipping away at the Eagles lead, but a Hobart service error would hand Juniata a 15-10 win in the fifth set.  
Match stats:
  • Sappia (.063) and Malcolm (.615) led the way for the Statesmen with 10 kills each in the five-set battle. DeLong added nine kills (.167), while Fromberg chipped in eight (.150). Kemora tallied seven kills (.000) in the loss, while Kischke added six (.250) out of the middle.
  • Farren ran Hobart's offense with 24 assists and two digs, while Dugan chipped in 19 assists, four digs and one service ace. Meador dished out three assists as well in the loss.
  • The Statesmen combined for 47 digs in the loss and were led by Meador's season-high 18. Sappia chipped in 12 digs for his first double-double of the season, while Kemora added seven and Dugan added four.
  • Hobart combined for 12 blocks as a team and were led by Kischke with seven and Malcolm and Kemora with four each.
COACHES CORNER:
 
"This weekend was the most productive 0-3 weekend of my coaching career," said Head Coach Steve England. "After being upset by a solid Widener team on Friday, our upperclassmen leadership shined as we played two five set matches against some of the best teams in the country. Though the results are not what we hoped they would be, the quality of volleyball we played was outstanding."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Jan. 31- Feb. 1, when it hosts its second tournament of the season. The Statesmen will take on New Jersey City University at 1 p.m. and Trine at 5 p.m. on Saturday and will close out the weekend's action with a matchup against Nazareth on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Bristol Gym.