WALTHAM, Mass. – Friday the 13th proved to be good for the East Stroudsburg University women's volleyball team as the Warriors opened the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament with a pair of wins against Caldwell and host, Bentley University.
 
The Warriors (4-2) opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of Caldwell (25-20, 25-7, 25-15) and went to a decisive fifth set in the nightcap against the Falcons, winning 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-12).
 
Senior Sarah Smith paced the Warriors on the day as she tallied 21 kills, 18 digs, and a team-high five aces. Senior Sam Dunphy added 18 kills and 12 digs, while senior Jasmine Williams recorded 14 kills and 15 total blocks for ESU. Sophomore Kayla Lugo guided the Warriors with 67 assists and 22 digs through both matches.
 
The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in their match against the Cougars following a 25-20 victory in the opening set. Caldwell pulled within a point of the Warriors late in the set as an attack error made it 20-19. ESU used a 4-0 run to gain some momentum and extend its advantage to 24-19. Sophomore Jasmine Mooney would end the set for the Warriors with a kill off an assist from Lugo.
 
ESU would cruise in the second set against the Cougars as they recorded a 25-7 victory to go up 2-0 in the match. Leading 8-5, the Warriors went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 13-5. Freshman Jessica Irwin delivered a pair of aces in the run to spark momentum for the ESU. The Warriors closed the set on a 9-0 run to secure the victory as Williams, Dunphy, and Smith tallied back-to-back-to-back kills.
 
Caldwell won the opening point of the third set before the Warriors went on a 6-0 run to jump ahead of the Cougars. The lead would extend to 14-5 before Caldwell rallied to cut the deficit to 14-9. The Warriors responded by increasing the lead to 21-10 following an ace from Smith. A kill by Lugo would finish the sweep for the Warriors as they won the set 25-15.
 
The second match of the day for ESU would be more of a marathon as the Warriors and Falcons battled into a fifth set. The Warriors countered an early 4-0 run by Bentley with a 4-0 rally of their own later in the set to swing momentum. The Falcons looked to send the opening set to extra points as they used a 3-0 run to pull within a point of ESU. Sophomore Emily Meredith ended the set with a kill to preserve the 25-23 victory for the Warriors.
 
The second set went down to the wire once again as ESU trimmed the deficit to 21-20 following a kill from Williams. The Warriors would have no answer for the Falcons as Bentley tallied the next four points to secure the 25-20 victory and knot the match 1-1. ESU used a late 5-0 run in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match after taking the set 25-17.
 
Bentley wouldn't be finished on its home court as the Falcons defeated the Warriors 25-19 to force a decisive fifth set. ESU raced out to an 8-4 advantage in the set before the Falcons rallied to cut the deficit to 8-7. Both sides would stay within a point until the Warriors recorded a kill from Mooney followed by an attack error from Bentley to give ESU the 15-12 victory in the set and the match, 3-2.
 
The Warriors, who have won three matches in a row, are back on the court Saturday morning at 9 a.m. against Rollins. ESU will face Molloy at 1:30 p.m. in its final match of the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament hosted by Bentley.