United Volleyball Conference Hobart Athletic Communications

Hobart downs Wheaton and No. 12 Lasell at Wheaton tri-match

NORTON, MA —The Hobart volleyball team bounced back with back-to-back wins over Wheaton and No. 12 Lasell on Saturday afternoon. The Statesmen defeated the Lyons 3-0 before winning a thrilling five-set battle over the Lasers to move to 12-11 on the season. With the results, Wheaton falls to 8-12 overall, while Lasell drops to 15-5 on the season.
 
First-year Harry Fromberg led Hobart through two matches with 27 kills (.396), five blocks, five digs, and one service ace. Junior Noah DeLong added 23 kills (.327), five digs, three blocks and an ace, while classmate Daniel Sappia chipped in 20 kills (.300), 14 digs, two blocks, two assists and one service ace through eight sets.
 
Sophomore Kian Kischke added 13 kills (.231) out of the middle and added five service aces, four blocks and three digs. Classmate Alain Malcolm chipped in nine kills (.538), four blocks and three digs through the two wins. Defensively, the Statesmen were led by junior libero Gavin Meador's 29 digs and eight assists.
MATCH MOMENTS:
 
Match 1 (Wheaton):
  • Hobart opened the match with a dominant performance in the opening set, putting down a match-high 19 kills (.444) while holding Wheaton to eight kills (.067). A kill by Kischke would close out the opening set for the Statesmen, 25-17.
  • The Statesmen continued to roll in the second set, combining for 15 kills (.235) while keeping the Lyons to just eight kills (.071) for the second straight set. Hobart went on a 6-0 run in the middle of the set and never looked back as it closed out the second on top 25-18.
  • Hobart closed out the sweep with a 10 kill (.500) performance. The Statesmen held Wheaton to just six kills (-.063) and forced seven hitting errors thanks for Hobart's big block. A kill from junior Nate Magni would close out set three in favor of Hobart 25-16.
Match stats:
  • DeLong led the way with 11 kills (.500) in the sweep, while Fromberg added nine kills (.400) in the win. Sappia chipped in six kills (.385), while Kischke (.375) and Malcolm (1.000) added five kills each out of the middle.
  • Junior Zack Farren and first-year Tor Boughal led Hobart from the setter position in the win. Farren tallied 20 assists, six digs and one ace, while Boughal added 13 assists and one dig against the Lyons.
  • The Statesmen combined for 31 digs as a team and were led by Meador's season-high 14. Farren added six while Fromberg chipped in three digs.
  • Hobart served up four aces in the win and was led by Kischke with three. Farren chipped in one ace in the win.
  • The Purple and Orange combined for five blocks as a team and was led by Fromberg with two. Magni, DeLong, Kischke and first-years Ben Welsh and Nicholas Humphries added one block each in the sweep.
Match 2 (Lasell):
  • Hobart came out hot in the opening set, putting down 15 kills (.333), while holding Lasell to eight kills (.074). The Statesmen took the early lead and never looked back as three straight kills from Kischke would close out the opening set in favor of Hobart 25-21.
  • The Lasers responded well in the second set, combining for nine kills (.368) while holding the Statesmen to 10 kills (.148). Lasell's strong serving forced Hobart out of system often in the second set as the Lasers closed out set two on top, 25-15.
  • Lasell continued on its momentum in the third set, putting down a match-high 13 kills (.611), while holding Hobart to a match-low seven kills (.087). Once again, errors plagued the Statesmen as they handed the Lasers a 25-15 win in set three.
  • Hobart answered back in the must-win fourth set, combining for a match-high 16 kills (.179) and holding Lasell to just eight kills (.056). After trading the early points, Hobart grabbed the late momentum and used kills from junior Aiden Kemora and Malcolm to close out set four on top, 25-21, forcing a decisive fifth set.
  • The Statesmen put on a dominant performance in the fifth set, combining for 13 kills (.571) as a team, while holding the Lasers to just three kills (.143). Hobart took control from the first point and never let up as it closed out the final set on top, 15-8, securing the crucial nonconference win.
Match stats:
  • Fromberg led Hobart with a career-high 18 kills (.394) in the five-set thriller. Sappia added 14 kills (.259), while DeLong chipped in 12 (.226) in the win. Kischke tallied eight kills (.167) out of the middle, while Kemora added five (.130) and Malcolm added four (.250).
  • Farren and Boughal led the Statesmen from the setter position again, tallying 21 and 17 assists each, respectively. The duo combined for nine digs as well in the win.
  • The Statesmen combined for 50 digs as a team and were led by Meador with a season-high 15. Sappia added 12 digs, while Farren chipped in seven. DeLong and Kemora added four digs each in the win.
  • Hobart served up six aces in the five-set battle. Kischke led the way with two aces, while Sappia, DeLong, Kemora and Fromberg added one ace each for the Statesmen.
  • The Purple and Orange combined for seven total blocks and were led by Malcolm, Kischke and Fromberg with three each. Sappia and DeLong added two blocks each in the win.
COACHES CORNER:
 
"Playing on a spring break is always a good test of a team's character," said Head Coach Steve England. We showed a lot of tenacity in today's win against a well-coached and competitive Lasell team. Our team defense was the best we played all season. We have grown a lot this week and I am so happy with the progress we have made. Go Hobart!"

UP NEXT:
 
Hobart will be back in action Friday, March 27, when it returns home for a crucial UVC matchup with New Paltz. Action between the Statesmen and the Hawks is set for 7 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.