ONEONTA, N.Y. – Despite facing adversity through all four sets, the Hawks were able to grind out a tight 3-1 win over the Keuka College Wolves on Friday evening.
 
THE BASICS
 

• Final Score:  Hartwick 3, Keuka (25-21, 13-25, 25-16, 25-19)
• Location:  Oneonta, N.Y.
• Record:  Hartwick (16-2 Overall, 6-2 Empire 8), Keuka (5-15 Overall, 1-7 Empire 8)

 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
 

• The Hawks started slow as the visiting Wolves trailing for nearly all of the first set.
• However, two strong runs behind the serve of Arianna Thompson (Hogansburg, N.Y.) and Staecia Silofau (Kapolei, Hawaii) eventually put the Hawks up 20-18.
• Keuka made one final push to knot the score up at 21-21, but a service ace by Braelyn Hornick (Candor, N.Y.) sandwiched between two big kills by Isabella Gracias (Oneonta, N.Y.) closed out the first set win 25-21.
• The visiting Wolves completely turned the tables on Hartwick in the second set with a 25-13 win.
• Hartwick regained their footing in the third set with the Hawks' trio of outside hitters getting hot at the same time.
• The combination of Shaelyn Thornton (Scarborough, Me.), Shelby Swartz (Candor, N.Y.), and Silofau combined for nine of the team's 13 kills in the third to help the team claim the 25-16 win.
• The fourth set turned into a battle of wills for each team as neither team were able to extend a lead past two points until later in the set.
• Hornick continued to distribute the ball to her attackers with middle hitter Aaliyah Williams (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) getting in on the action.
• Williams and Gracias were also defensive game-changers down the stretch for the Hawks picking up two momentum changing block assists.
• Thornton paced the offense with 15 kills with Gracias following close behind with 14.
• Swartz and Silofau ended the night with 10 kills each.
• Defensively, Williams and Gracias combined for 10 block assists, while Sophia Palladino (Owego, N.Y.) and Thompson led the team in digs with 11 and 10 respectively.

 
UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS
 
The Hawks return to the court on Saturday afternoon against the Elmira College Soaring Eagles at 1 PM in the team's Dig Pink game.
 
HARTWICK COLLEGE
 
One of the oldest colleges in the country, Hartwick has continually evolved for 225 years. The College's exciting new chapter is called FlightPath, a future-focused approach to education. Offering a distinctive blend of curricular, co-curricular and real-world work experiences, FlightPath builds on Hartwick's long history of integrating broad-based studies with experiential learning.
 
Hartwick College is a nationally ranked independent college of the arts and sciences located in picturesque Oneonta, NY, in the northern foothills of the Catskill Mountains. The College offers 35 courses of study leading to a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, two master's degrees in the sciences, and a graduate certificate in nursing education. For more information, visit www.Hartwick.edu.