United Volleyball Conference Hobart Athletic Communications

No. 20 Hobart splits action on Day 1 of Statesmen Tournament

GENEVA, NY—The 20th-ranked Hobart volleyball team split action on Day 1 of the 2026 Statesmen volleyball tournament as it swept New Jersey City in three sets before falling to Trine in four sets in its second match of the day. With the results, Hobart sits at 4-5 on the season.
 
Junior outside Aiden Kemora led Hobart through two matches with 22 kills (.447), averaging 3.14 kills per set. Kemora added five blocks, four digs and one assist on the afternoon. First-year Harry Fromberg chipped in 15 kills (.273), 14 digs, five blocks and one assist this afternoon, while junior Daniel Sappia added 12 kills (.179), 14 digs and one block. Classmate Noah DeLong put down 11 kills (.474) through two matches and added five digs and one block.
 
First-year Charlie Dugan and junior Zack Farren led the Statesmen from the setter position this afternoon. Dugan led the team with 43 assists, averaging 6.14 per set, and added eight digs and three service aces. Farren chipped in 23 assists and three digs through two matches. Defensively, junior libero Gavin Meador led Hobart with 12 digs and an assist.

MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (NJCU):
  • Hobart put on a dominant performance in the opening set, combining for nine kills (.438) as a team compared to NJCU's match-low two kills (-0.4). The Statesmen served strong, forcing the Knights out of system and into eight hitting errors and handing Hobart a 25-10 win in set one.
  • The Statesmen continued to roll in set two, putting down eight kills (.467), while holding the Knights to just six kills (-0.136) in the second set. A 4-0 scoring run would close out set two in favor of the Statesmen, 25-12.
  • Hobart exploded for a match-high 16 kills (.433) in the final set while holding NJCU to six kills (.077) for the second straight set. A kill from Fromberg and a Knight service error would close out the sweep with a 25-17 win for the Statesmen.
Match stats:
  • Sappia led the way with eight kills (.400), while DeLong (.417), Kemora (.231) and sophomore Kian Kischke (.667) added six kills each in the win. Fromberg chipped in five kills (.714), while sophomore Alain Malcolm added two (.400) out of the middle.
  • Dugan tallied a team-high 16 assists in the sweep and added three service aces and three digs for Hobart. Farren chipped in seven assists and two digs in the win for the Statesmen.
  • Hobart combined for 25 digs as a team and was led by Meador with six. DeLong chipped in five, while Sappia added four and Dugan recorded three.
  • The Statesmen held a 6-1 advantage in service aces and were led by Dugan with a match-high three service aces. Malcolm added two, while Kischke chipped in one service ace in the win.
  • The Purple and Orange showed strong at the net and combined for eight blocks as a team. Malcolm led the Statesmen with four blocks, while Kemora and Kischke chipped in three blocks each in the sweep.
Match 2 (Trine):
  • The Statesmen continued on their momentum in the second match of the day as they combined for 12 kills (.182) in the opening set. The Thunder put down 10 kills (.079) for themselves and staged a late comeback to sneak away with a 25-23 win in set one.
  • Hobart responded well in the second set, putting down 11 kills (.423) as a team, while holding Trine to a match-low five kills (-0.107). The Statesmen shot out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back as it closed out the second set on top, 25-14.
  • The back-and-forth action continued in the third set as Hobart put down 10 kills (.04) compared to the Thunder's 11 kills (.273). Trine shot out to a late lead, but Hobart fought back with a 4-0 scoring run to bring the Statesmen within two late in the set. The Thunder used a kill from Zach Mikrut to close out set three on top, 25-22.
  • Set four saw the two sides trade the lead six times and record 15 tie scores as Hobart tried to force a fifth set in the nonconference battle. The Statesmen combined for 16 kills (.316) in the must-win set but was matched by an efficient Thunder side that put down a match-high 18 kills (.279). Hobart forced extra points, but Trine closed out the thriller with a 29-27 win in set four.
Match stats:
  • Kemora led the Statesmen with 16 kills (.560) in the loss. Fromberg added 10 kills (.154), while DeLong chipped in five kills (.571) off the bench. Sappia (.042) and Malcolm (.800) added four kills each for Hobart, while first-year Nicholas Humphries put down three kills (.100) in the loss.
  • Dugan once again led Hobart with 27 assists and five digs, while Farren chipped in 16 assists and one dig through four sets.
  • The Statesmen combined for 49 digs as a team and were led by Fromberg with a career-high 13. Sappia added 10 digs in the loss, while Meador recorded six and Dugan and first-year Tyler Lavell added five digs each.
  • Hobart held an 11-5 edge in blocks in the loss and were led by junior Grayson Getz with four. Fromberg chipped in three blocks, while Kemora added two.
COACHES CORNER:
 
"Today was about growth and investment for the short- and long-term future of the program," said Head Coach Steve England. "We executed at a high level on the skills we emphasized this week against NJCU. The underclassmen are getting a great lesson about what it takes to be consistent. I am excited about the opportunity to play a well-coached Naz team tomorrow to see how we respond to adversity."

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action tomorrow as it concludes the 2026 Statesmen Tournament with a matchup with Nazareth. Action between the Statesmen and the Golden Flyers is set for 3 p.m. in Bristol Gym.