The William & Mary volleyball team clinced a spot in its 25th post-season Sunday, battling Hofstra on Senior Day before falling 3-1.  The Tribe moves to 10-19 overall (4-12 CAA) to earn the sixth and final conference tournament spot on tiebreakers, while the Pride improved to 21-10 (12-4 CAA) and earned a share of the CAA title.

Leading the way for the Tribe in her final home match was senior Carolyn Albright (Raleigh, N.C.), who collected her second career double-double with 10 kills and 10 blocks.  All 10 of her blocks were assists with her teammates, tying for the ninth-most block-assists in a single match in school history, and the most since Shaylin O'Connell '13 had 12 in 2009.  Also in the senior class, Dessi Koleva (Torrance, Calif.) had a team-best 14 digs to go with eight kills, three blocks, and three more service aces to bring her weekend total to eight aces, and classmate Jenna Strange (Leesburg, Va.) earned her first career kill.  Michelle Heath (Rustburg, Va.) had six kills, five digs, and an ace in her final home game.

Freshman Heather Pippus (Lake Oswego, Ore.) also collected a double-double on the day with a team-best 12 kills and 11 digs, and also had three blocks.  Sophomore Sydney Biniak (Elkridge, Md.) had six blocks, and classmate Paige Humprey (Oak Hill, Va.) added two more blocks with four kills.  Sophomore Austyn Ames (Wichita, Kan.) had 18 assists, six digs, and three aces, while freshman Katie Kemp (Brentwood, Tenn.) had 19 assists, three digs, and another ace.  Sophomore Sara Zumbach (Franklin, Tenn.) rounded out the notables with 12 digs.

After Hofstra took a close first set, 25-21, the Tribe roared back in the second set, opening strong with an 11-3 run capped off by a kill by Humphrey.  The Pride clawed their back, taking the lead for the first time at 19-18 and forcing a W&M timeout.  Out of the break, Koleva scored a kill to re-tie things, and just a few points later it was Albright who knotted the score at 21-21.  The two seniors combined a block to regain the lead 22-21, and after two Hofstra kills the duo made another block to gain a 23-23 level.  The freshman Pippus made a kill to gain set point, and after Hofstra took its final timeout, Koleva dished out an ace to win the set and tie the match 1-1.  The visitors went on to win the third, 25-22, and eventually took the fourth 25-20 to win the match.

William & Mary's quarterfinal match at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships will come at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night, Nov. 20, in Harrisonburg.  The Tribe will face No. 3 seed UNCW, with the winner advancing to a 7:30 p.m. Saturday match-up with No. 2-seed Towson in the semifinals.