Women's Volleyball | 4/14/2021 9:13:00 PM
The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team claimed the program's second-straight and second-ever Empire 8 Regular Season Championship on Wednesday night with a straight-sets victory (25-19, 25-17, 25-13) over conference foe, Houghton, at the Nielsen Center. The Cardinals retained their perfect season in the win and improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Empire 8, while the Highlanders moved to 3-2 on the year and 3-1 in the conference.
Alea Steigerwald led the Cardinals on both sides of the ball as she totaled 13 kills on .258 hitting and 10 digs. The junior also notched a game-high four service aces and an assist in the outing. Gracie Jacob hit a team-high .391 on 11 kills and five digs while Delayne Young added five kills and four digs to the match. Katie Leaty started at setter for the Cardinals and dished out a game-high 25 assists and dug out six balls.
In the first set, Fisher got out to an early six-point lead, which it would go on to maintain throughout the set's duration. The Cardinals then went on to score five unanswered points to open the following stanza, a margin the team would maintain until they went on another scoring tear with kills from Jacob, Young, and a block from the front line of Jacob and Kara Balmer, which paced the team to an eight-point victory.
Having not trailed in either of the first two sets, the Cardinals fell to a four-point deficit at the opening of the third stanza. Fueled by Fisher's two-time All-American, Steigerwald, and Cardinals newcomer, Young, the visitors recovered the deficit and took a four-point lead of their own, which they extended to 12 by the conclusion of the night.
Kelly Greapentrog's squad hit .245 on the night with 10 service aces and two blocks. For the second time in the team's 47-year history, the Cardinals will host the Empire 8 tournament on their home court on Bobby Wanzer Court at Manning & Napier Varsity Gymnasium beginning next Thursday.
First, Fisher will close out its regular season this Sunday, April 18 at 3 p.m. when it hosts Utica College for the conference finale and the Cardinals' senior day ceremonies.