HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - The William and Mary volleyball team swept past Hofstra on the road Friday night, winning 3-0 on Long Island to keep pace in the conference standings. The Tribe improves to 10-12 overall and 4-6 in league play, while Hofstra falls to 10-20 overall and 2-8 in the CAA.

Box Score

The night was led by senior Erin Skipper (Yorktown, Va.), who hit .407 with 14 kills and added three aces and four blocks. Classmate Cassie Crumal (Castle Rock, Colo.) continued her strong play in conference matches with 24 assists, six digs, three blocks, and three kills. Junior Anne Dorff (Kent, Ohio) had a match-high six blocks to go along with three kills and no errors, and sophomore Gina Lang (Valparaiso, Ind.) added in eight kills, four digs, three blocks, and two aces. With the blocking going so well for the Tribe, the team's defensive specialists had a quiet but solid night, with freshman Celine Alasomuka (Centreville, Va.) and sophomore Delaney Gordon (Walnut Creek, Calif.) each collecting 10 digs.

In addition to the Tribe's strong hitting and blocking (.253 attack, 10 blocks), the Green and Gold was able to take advantage of the Pride's miscues on the night to seize control early in the first set. Tied at 4-4, a kill by Skipper ignited a 7-1 run for the visitors and broke open the set. Hofstra battled back to retie things at 16-16, but another 8-2 run put the Tribe at set point, and a block by Lang and senior Ginny Bray (Cary, N.C.) finished things at 25-18.

In the second set, W&M had three 7-1 streaks that left the Tribe unchallenged in taking a 2-0 lead in the match. The first came in the first eight points, and the third finished the set at 25-16 with two kills from Crumal and two blocks by Crumal and Bray. The 10-minute intermission before the third set worked in favor of Hofstra, however, and the third set proved just as tight and exciting as any the Tribe had played all season. W&M was able to build a small lead in the early goings, but Hofstra battled back and used an 11-4 run in the middle of the set to go on top 15-11 with a kill by Nikki Kinnier. The Tribe had another 7-1 run in its bank, however, and regained the lead with a streak of points that included both of Lang's service aces. Hofstra responded with a pair of points to tie the match at 18-18, but Skipper ignited a 5-0 run that included two kills from the senior, and two blocks (Dorff/Crumal, and Dorff/Skipper) that put the College on the cusp of victory at 23-18. In a replay of several close losses this season, however, the Tribe saw Hofstra battle its way back to tie the set at 24-24. A kill by Skipper put W&M back on top, 25-24, and a stellar defensive effort forced Hofstra into its 23rd error of the night to seal the win.

William and Mary's road trip continues tomorrow evening at Northeastern, with another 5 p.m. match-up.