Women's Volleyball | 10/28/2023 9:43:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher University women's volleyball team were at home on Saturday to play their final home games of the regular season. The first match of the day was an important Empire 8 matchup with Keuka College in which the Cardinals won to clinch the regular season title and top seed in the upcoming league tournament. The Cardinals would fall to Misericordia University in the second match.
SJF 3 – Keuka 0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-20)
Fisher jumped ahead 4-1 to start the first set thanks to kills by Ana Gutman, Olivia Nellis and Kaylene Noble. The Wolves fought back to even the score again at 9-9, but Delayne Young initiated a run that pushed the lead to 16-10. After a pair of points by Keuka, Noble tallied a trio of kills and service ace to bring the Cardinals to within one point of a win and Kristen McIntosh secured that win with a kill.
The Wolves went ahead in the second set, 8-5, and it was Fisher that had to make the comeback. They did so with kills by McIntosh, Reilly Morrow and Young, reclaiming a 10-8 advantage. After a trading of points, the Cardinals made crucial runs that helped them run away with the set. Despite a late 5-0 run by Keuka, Gutman tallied the kill that gave them a 25-20 win.
In the third set, the two teams appeared to be evenly matched, keeping the score tied at 15-15. Kills by Young and Noble, helped give the team some breathing room, but the Wolves fought back to get within one. The duo of Young and Noble recorded the final points to help the Cardinals claim the number spot in the Empire 8 standings.
Noble impressed again with a 16 kill performance on a .467 hitting percentage, to go along with 15 digs. Young added 11 kills of her own with seven digs.
SJF 2 – Misericordia 3 (26-24, 23-25, 16-25, 25-12, 13-15)
The two teams showed how evenly matched they were in the first set, with the Cardinals down by just one at 16-15. A kill by Morrow evened the score and then a service ace by Young gave the team a 19-17 advantage. Later in the frame, the Cougars were in front 23-21, but once again the Cardinals fought back with kills by Olivia Nellis and Young helping secure the set win.
After dropping the second and third set, the Cardinals had their backs against the wall going into the fourth. They quickly jumped in front 10-2, taking advantage of errors, while getting scores by Adeline Phillips. Fisher continued that momentum by going on a 8-0 run and jumping ahead 19-5. The cruised the rest of the way thanks to points by Noble and a pair of Cougar mistakes.
The fifth and final set was intense. The two teams traded points and just as the Cougars thought they were pulling ahead at 7-5, but kills by Nellis and Young evened the score again. Later in the set, the Cardinals went on a 4-0 run, but it was not enough as the Cougars secured the set, 15-13.
Noble finished with 17 kills and nine digs, followed by Young with 12 kills of her own and 13 digs on the defensive end.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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