Rough Opening Day for Women's Volleyball

Rough Opening Day for Women's Volleyball

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HOUGHTON
 Houghton volleyball opened the 2014 season with a 3-0 win over SUNY IT on Friday before closing the day with a 3-0 loss to the hosts at the SUNY Canton Tournament on Friday.

In the first match, the Highlanders won 25-18, 25-22, 25-16 as Hattie Burgher (Selkirk, NY, Loudonville Christian) recorded 13 kills and 13 digs to lead the team. Freshman Naomi Prentice (Linwood, NY, York Central) and junior Meagan Palm (Lakeland, FL, Lakeland Christian) added seven kills apiece. Palm also had eight digs, with Laurel Wroblicky (Irvine, CA, Northwood) chipped in with a team-high 16 digs. Freshman setter Anna Coryell (Phelps, NY, Midlakes) totalled 30 assists.

The second match of the day went in favor of the SUNY Canton Roos, 22-25, 14-25, 20-25. Burgher led the squad with six kills, while adding eight digs. Wroblicky finished with 20 digs. Coryell had 13 assists.

NAZARETH
Nazareth opened its women's volleyball season by dropping a pair of matches at the Red Dragon Classic, hosted by SUNY Cortland. The Golden Flyers were defeated by No. 14 Juniata in three sets 25-19, 25-23, 25-13 in their opening match. Nazareth then faltered in four sets against Lebanon Valley (25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-22). Seniors Kassandra Buseck and Maria Allocco each had five kills while classmate Olivia Harrigan added four kills against Juniata.

Juniata's stingy defense allowed only a total of 17 kills by the Golden Flyers. In addition to the kills from Nazareth's top three performers, sophomore Cady Messmer and junior Jennifer Hicks added two kills and one kill, respectively. The Golden Flyers were forced into 22 hitting errors. Messmer and classmate Madi Wickens each contributed two service aces, and Buseck and Allocco each tallied another. Wickens also had a team-high eight assists.

Defensively, sophomore Maureen Thayer recorded a team-high 10 digs while Wickens and Buseck each tallied nine digs apiece. Hicks was a presence at the net as she had a solo block and four assisted blocks. Allocco also had a solo block, and Harrigan had two assisted blocks while Buseck had one assisted block.

Harrigan had nine kills against Lebanon Valley, Buseck added eight and Allocco six. Sophomore Maureen Thayer had three assists and 14 digs.

HARTWICK
Hartwick volleyball opened its season with a 3-1 loss but responded with a 3-0 victory in its second match against Lehman on Friday night at the Oneonta Invitational.
           
The Hawks dropped the opening two sets 25-19 and 25-22 in their match against the Red Dragons. They recovered in set number three 25-18 to pull within a set. Oneonta would edge 'Wick in the fourth frame 25-23 to secure the victory.
           
Senior Dana Martin (Chester, NY/Burke Catholic) recorded a double-double with team-highs of 10 kills and 16 digs for Hartwick. Junior Mary Beth DeCuyke (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) added seven kills and junior Taylor Vonasek(Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) and freshman Kayla Baril (Seekonk, MA/Seekonk) each added six kills apiece. Baril, playing in her first collegiate match, also contributed 15 digs.
           
Sophomore Quincy Kinzel (Scotia, NY/Guilderland) dished out 31 assists and also had eight digs. Fellow sophomore Alyssa Zeitler (Chardon, OH/Berkshire) matched Kinzel's dig total with eight.
           
In the team's second match, the Hawks made quick work of the Lehman Lightning as they defeated them in three straight sets with relative ease, 25-14, 25-18, 25-12.
           
Sophomore Hannah Armstrong (Lansing, NY/Lansing) and Baril each registered six kills in a balanced Hartwick attack. Kinzel provided another 18 assists for the Hawks and Zeitler had the team-high in digs with five. Freshman Rosa Maun (Redstone, CO/Roaring Fork) notched three service aces.


STEVENS
The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team splits its 2014 opener at Salisbury University on Friday evening. Stevens fell to Salisbury in its first match but rebounded to top Clark University in the night cap.

Salisbury 3, Stevens 0
Salisbury swept the Ducks in the opening match, 26-24, 27-25, 25-19. The Ducks led late in set one, 24-20, only to watch the Seagulls rally off the final six points of the set.

Sophomore Mary Tobin was the lone Stevens player to reach double-digit kills with 10 and completed her double-double with 10 digs. Junior Annemarie Thomas and freshman Brianna Evans each tallied six kills in the loss, while Evans added six digs and Thomas notched five blocks.

Senior Ashley Castillo handed out a team-high 25 assists to go along with eight digs and three blocks, while freshman Sydni Horner paced the Ducks defensively with 15 digs in her first collegiate match.

Senior Katie Hall chipped in four kills, three service aces and three blocks.

Stevens struggled offensively, hitting just .057, while Salisbury hit at a .160 clip. The Ducks did, however, register 16 block assists in the loss.

Stevens 3, Clark 1
Statistics for the match against Clark are not available at this time.


ST. JOHN FISHER
The St, John Fisher College volleyball team fell in its season opener to host and nationally-ranked New York University in three straight sets and couldn't rebound back against Union College in the second match on Friday at the NYU Labor Day Invitational.  The Cardinals continue tournament play at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday against Babson College. The consolation and championship games are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively.

NYU 3, Fisher 0
The Cardinals took the first two points of the first set, thanks to an error by NYU and a kill from senior Paige Willson. NYU went on a five-point run, and despite Fisher's four-point response, the Cardinals dropped the first set, 25-18.

In the second set, Fisher found themselves leading 18-16 before NYU found momentum with an eight-point run, making it 24-18. NYU then took the second set, 25-21 and picked up the win in the third set as well.

Freshman Madison Karwas made a solid collegiate debut, leading Fisher with seven kills.   Junior Erin Crandall led the Cardinals with 11 digs, while freshman Katie Mazierskiadded nine.  Erica Stickler totaled a team-best 14 assists. 

Union 3, Fisher 0
The Cardinals dropped the second match, 26-24, 25-18 and 25-17, falling to 0-2 on opening day.

The first set was close with the squads tied at 11 apiece before Union took a 6-0 run. Fisher rallied back, trailing by just two points then tying it up again at 24-24. Union won two straight points to take the set, 26-24.

Stickler paced Fisher with 16 assists.  Crandall tallied 13 digs, while Karwas (11) and Anna Marcy (nine) combined for 20.

ALFRED
The Alfred University volleyball team opened its 2014 season Friday afternoon at the Gettysburg College Tournament. The Saxons dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions, to Muhlenberg and Salve Regina.

In the opener against Muhlenberg, AU fell by scores of 25-7, 25-15 and 25-9. Freshman Jacquelynn Hicks had three kills; freshmanAubrey Totsline had 12 assists; sophomore Mary Lou Patnaude had two kills and a block; and freshman Chelsea Pietrzykowski had two service aces.

The Saxons lost to Salve Regina by scores of 25-15, 25-9 and 25-11. Senior Taylor Kiernan  had two digs and two service aces; Patnaude had two kills, two digs and block; and Totsline registered 10 assists.

UTICA
The Utica College volleyball team dropped its season opening double-header at the Cortland Invitational Friday evening.  The Pioneers lost to host SUNY Cortland 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-15) in the opening game before falling to the University of Rochester (25-11, 25-19, 25-20) in the second game of the day. 

In the first game, Brandi Blaszak (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Michaline Rubas (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville), and Samantha Hoerning (Farmingville, NY/Sachem East) led UC with six kills each.  Senior Briona Enny (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) had a team-high ten digs, while junior Lora Allen (Dolgeville, NY/Dolgeville) led the squad with 13 assists, and Chelsea Lauria (Erieville, NY/Cazenovia) added nine assists. 
 
In match two, senior Ashley Jones (Charlton, NY/Galway) led the team with seven kills, while Allen once again led the squad with 14 assists.  Laura Homer-Gunther(Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) had three blocks, while Enny had six digs.