Big Green Split Final Day of Dartmouth Invitational

Saturday, September 9

Hanover, N.H.

10:30 AM

Dartmouth College

2-3,0-0Ivy League

Stonehill

0-10,0-0NEC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Stonehill	20	15	14	0
Dartmouth	25	25	25	3

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Hofstra	25	25	25	3
Dartmouth	19	23	19	0

Bomi Ogunlari ’24

Photo by: Chloe Broeker

Big Green Split Final Day of Dartmouth Invitational

9/9/2023 10:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Stonehill Box Score (PDF)Hofstra Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

Dartmouth swept Stonehill in the opening match and ran out of gas against Hofstra in the nightcap

By: Kyle Relf

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth volleyball team earned a 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-14) win over Stonehill before falling 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-19) to Hofstra in the nightcap at Leede Arena on Saturday, the final day of the Dartmouth Invitational.

The Big Green moved to 2-4 on the season, while Stonehill dropped to 0-10 and Hofstra improved to 10-1. The Pride were undefeated across both days of the invitational with victories over Dartmouth, Seton Hall and Stonehill.

DARTMOUTH 3, STONEHILL 0
The Big Green were in control from start to finish in a speedy three-set victory to begin Saturday's Dartmouth Invitational slate. Ava Roberts stuffed the stat sheet with five aces, four total blocks and four kills for a team-high 11.5 points, in addition to her seven digs. Kauany Gutz and Natalie Grover tied for the team lead in kills with five apiece. Stonehill's Lauren MacKellar and Georgia Murphy equaled each other with a match-high seven kills and MacKellar added three blocks.

Dartmouth, which took the court just 14 hours after a five-set win over Seton Hall, battled through a challenging first set with late kills from Molly Power and Amelia Gibbs. An early three-point run gave the Big Green a 7-4 edge and a key sideout, followed by another three-point spurt, had the hosts on top, 14-9. The two sides traded points down the stretch, with the exception of Gibbs' kill, which preceded a Roberts ace, to bring the score to 20-14.

After claiming seven of the first eight points, Dartmouth led wire-to-wire in the second set. Early kills from Grover and Gibbs set the tone for a dominant remainder of the match and a late five-point run gave Dartmouth a commanding 22-12 lead. Gutz' kill at set point sent the Big Green into the third with plenty of momentum, which carried over into the third as they raced to a 6-2 advantage. An ensuing four-point Stonehill run was emphatically answered and the lead would balloon to double digits (23-13). A kill by Ellie Blain, followed by a block from Emma Sinclair and Emma Symon, clinched the 3-0 triumph.

HOFSTRA 3, DARTMOUTH 0
Hofstra proved to be too much for Dartmouth in a three-set nightcap, which saw the red-hot Pride win their fourth straight. Clara Bal, who paced Hofstra with 11 points was the match's only scorer in double figures. Freshman Maddie LaFata led the Big Green with a career-high eight kills.

Having won each of its last five sets played dating back to the comeback win over Seton Hall, Dartmouth started slow in the first set and despite a late push, couldn't mount a comeback. Hofstra, whose strong start was marked by an early 5-0 lead, was bolstered by 16 kills throughout the opening game. A block by Roberts and Gibbs, along with a kill from Grover, seemed to signal a Big Green comeback, but Beatriz Braga's winner at set point sealed the Pride's victory.

Dartmouth and Hofstra were neck-and-neck through set two, but Hofstra earned some separation with a 23-18 edge – the largest lead for either side. The Big Green faced set point at 24-20, but responded with a three-point run that included and ace from Roberts and a Sinclair kill. The Pride had the answer, and all they needed to secure the commanding 2-0 edge, with Sarah Pierre's kill. The Big Green offense recorded an efficient 18 kills during the game at a .417 clip.

A comeback wasn't in the cards on Saturday night, although Dartmouth found itself with a 13-8 edge midway through set three. Hofstra earned its first lead at 20-19 for the start of a match-sealing seven-point run.

Dartmouth heads to Fordham for the Rose Hill Classic next weekend, battling the host on Friday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. and FDU on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available through DartmouthSports.com. The next time the Big Green take the court at Leede Arena, it will be for the start of Ivy League play as Harvard visits on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.