Brostrom, McCauley Earn Double Doubles as UAlbany Takes 3-1 Road Win at Hartford
Box Score
HARTFORD, Conn. – Samantha Brostrom took charge with 15 kills and 16 digs as the Great Danes earned a 3-1 (25-20, 26-28, 25-20, 25-21) road victory over Hartford on Friday night.
“The road to recovery has been tough, but I keep trying to play my best volleyball,” says Brostrom. “It felt as the match went on, I saw my chances. I tried to hit the ball well, and I had great sets to help me with it.”
With the victory, UAlbany wins its second America East match in as many chances, going to 2-12 overall.
“Hartford has always been a difficult place for us to play,” says coach MJ Engstrom. “Their players get psyched to play us, and their fans are right against the court. Our players did a great job adapting to this tough environment.”
With a couple of early kills, Hartford (6-12, 0-2 AE) started the first game winning the first four points, later going up 7-1. Down 9-4, UAlbany surged forward. Tatum Jungsten started the run with a kill and two blocks, then Amy Hunter earned three kills a row. A Mikala McCauley dump kill complete the seven-point run to make it 11-9 UAlbany. A couple of Hartford 3-0 runs got back the advantage to the home team 15-12. A couple of Hartford errors helped UAlbany tie the set at 16. Following a Hartford point, UAlbany won four of the next five points, capped by a kill and block by Brostrom, to lead 20-18. Hartford tied it up after a timeout, then a service error, McCauley-Jungsten block, a setting error, an attack error and a Hunter kill finished the set as UAlbany won the game 25-20 to go up in the match.
A pair of Amanda Dolan kills helped push UAlbany up 3-1 early in the second set. Hartford tied it up at five as the two teams went back and forth until 8-8, Hartford won three of the next four points, causing UAlbany to call timeout. At 14-11 home team, a couple of Hartford errors got UAlbany with one. At 16-14, the Great Danes won four straight, capped by a Dolan block and Brostrom block, to lead 18-16. UAlbany kept its lead, going ahead 23-20, including a McCauley kill. The Hawks made a late push, to tie it up at 24. After a Dolan block, UAlbany got set point again, but two Dionna Kirton kills in a row gave Hartford the set point chance. A crushed ball by Dolan tied it up again, but Hartford took the next two points to take set two 28-26 and tie the contest at 1-1.
The teams started back-and-forth until 5-4 Hartford when a 3-0 UAlbany run, started by a Brostrom kill and a capped by a Jungsten block pushed UAlbany up 7-5. Hartford clawed back with four of the next five to lead 9-8. After an exchange, kills by Hunter and Brostrom put the Great Danes back in front 11-10. The lead went to two after a Dolan kill and Viktoriia Stroilo ace made it 13-11 Great Danes. With help from a couple of Jungsten kills, UAlbany built its lead to five at 19-14. Hartford took the next three, prompting MJ Engstrom to call timeout. The break led to a service error to stop the streak, followed by a Hunter kill and Sofia Furlong block to rebuild the lead to 22-17.
Started by a kill and continued by a couple of digs by McCauley, UAlbany took a 4-1 lead to start the fourth game. Hartford countered by winning six of the next eight to go up 7-6. UAlbany called timeout down 10-9. The Great Danes responded with three kills in a row, two of them by Dolan, to lead 12-10. The two sides tussled as UAlbany went ahead 15-13, but Hartford tied in up. At 17-15, Hartford got three straight to take a lead, prompting the final UAlbany timeout of the set. Brostrom took charge, earning a kill and an ace to take the lead for the team. A Hartford attack error made it 20-18, causing a home team timeout. Up 22-20, Dolan and Hunter earned consecutive kills to get set point. At 24-21, a Hartford service error ended it, giving the fourth set to the Great Danes 25-21. UAlbany took the match 3-1.
“Overall, it was a great effort by everyone,” says Engstrom. “Our team is continuing to develop well: Strolio and Spreen did an outstanding job defensively, Brostrom and Hunter continue to improve at outside, and the hitting and blocking in the middle by Jungsten and Dolan are awesome.
In the match, UAlbany outblocked the Hawks 13-2. The team also earned a .240 hitting percentage, the best mark of the season.
“McCauley had her best match as a setter to date, and she will continue to improve,” says Engstrom.
Brostrom finished the match with a double double, earning 15 kills, 16 digs, four blocks and a career-high three service aces. Dolan hit .480 in the match with a career-high 14 kills on two attack errors and five blocks. Jungsten concluded with 10 kills and five blocks. At setter, McCauley also had a double double with 38 assists and 14 digs, adding four kills. Stroilo had a team-best 29 digs, while Lauren Spreen earned a career-high 17 digs.
For Hartford, Kirton led the way with her own double double of 15 kills and 15 digs. Setter Jackie Tamburri got 41 assists and 22 digs.
The Great Danes head back on the road tomorrow for another conference match, taking on Providence at Alumni Hall at 5 p.m.
