Fisher Wins in Five Against Alfred; Naz Sweeps Brockport

Fisher Wins in Five Against Alfred; Naz Sweeps Brockport

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Utica Falls to SUNYIT

St. John FIsher 3, Alfred 2 (Box Score)
Rachael Kline had 21 kills as the St. John Fisher College volleyball team won a thriller in five sets against Alfred University in what was the Empire 8 conference-opener for both teams.

With the win, the Cardinals improve to 4-5 (1-0, E8), while Alfred drops to 2-6 (0-1, E8).

Tied at two sets apiece, the contest would be decided by a fifth and final set.  Both teams battled back-and-forth, but neither could gain a clear advantage until Fisher pulled away at the very end to take the set and the match 17-15.

Kline was a force to be reckoned with in the final set as the Oneida, NY native smashed five kills without recording a single attack error.

The Saxons took the opening set 25-18, but Fisher recovered nicely, taking the second 25-16 and holding on to win the third set 28-26.

Alfred kept its hopes alive, taking the fourth set 25-21, but the Saxons couldn't carry the momentum into the deciding set.

Fisher received strong contributions from several players.  Megan Miller tallied 13 kills and 23 digs, while Andrea Gillespie did her part to keep the Saxon hitters at bay with 34 digs.  Paige Willson came up with seven kills and Erica Stickler notched 23 assists in the win.


Nazareth 3, Brockport 0 (Box Score) 
Nazareth got nine kills from junior Maria Allocco and 18 assists from freshman Madi Wickens Wednesday as the Golden Flyers swept Brockport in three sets of a non-conference women's volleyball match. Scores were 25-14, 25-20, 25-19.

Nazareth improved to 7-2 overall while Brockport slipped to 2-4. Nazareth plays again Friday at the Union Tournament in Schenectady with matches against Skidmore and Oneonta. The Golden Flyers also play Saturday against Cortland and Union.

Against Brockport, Nazareth used a balanced offensive attack to keep the Golden Eagles in check. In addition to Allocco, freshman Cady Messmer and junior Chelsea Beecher each had eight kills and junior Kassandra Buseck had five. Messmer also had a team-high 10 digs.

Brockport's top statistical performers included freshman Amanda Riebe with eight kills and senior Jessica Greiner with 19 assists. Senior libero Mary Cocking had 10 digs.

Messmer had four of her kills in the opening set and four more in the second as the Golden Flyers built a solid lead. The Golden Flyers were efficient in the third set by hitting .344 (16-5-32) as Allocco produced five kills in six swings and junior Katherine Race had all five of her digs. Buseck and sophomore Jennifer Hicks each had three kills in the final set.


SUNYIT 3, Utica 0 (Box Score)
The Utica College volleyball team lost in straight sets to visiting SUNYIT, Wednesday night at the Clark Athletic Center. 

The first game was packed with back-and-forth action, however the Wildcats were able to come away with the 25-21 victory.  The second set was more of the same, with neither team taking a commanding lead.  The Pioneers went up 22-18, however SUNYIT was able to rally to score the next seven points and take the second game by a 25-22 ledger.  Despite a valiant effort, Utica was not able to rebound, as it lost the third set 25-13. 

Freshman Brandi Blaszak led the team with seven kills on the evening to go along with five blocks, while junior Cassandra Manzer had five kills and five blocks.  Sophomore Laura Homer-Gunther was all over the net, collecting a team-high eight blocks.  Junior Briona Enny led all players with 17 digs, and Lora Allen and Carly Lonczak combined for 25 assists.