No. 5 Alfred Wins First Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship In Program History; Saxons Defeat No. 3 Keuka

Women's Volleyball | 11/11/2023 7:49:00 PM

KEUKA PARK, NY – The fifth-seeded Alfred University women's volleyball team (14-13) claimed the program's first ever Empire 8 Championship title on Saturday with a  four-set, upset win over No. 3 seeded Keuka College (20-7).
 
The Saxons (14-13, 5-3 Empire 8) lost to St. John Fisher University (3-1), Nazareth University (3-0) and Keuka College (3-2) during the regular season as the only Empire 8 losses of the season. Their journey through the Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament had them face each of the three teams. The #5 seeded Saxons began with a 3-0 win over #4 seeded Naz, then defeated #1 seeded Fisher, 3-1 and ended with a 3-1 win over #3 seeded Keuka. On Saturday, the Saxons won the match, 25-16, 20-25, 26-24, 25-22. A #5 seeded team has never won the Empire 8 women's volleyball tournament and it's the first upset win in the finals since the 2018 season. It was the first time since 2012 that anyone but the #1 or #2 seed won the tournament as #4 Nazareth defeated #2 Stevens Institute of Technology.
 
Saturday's win was also the first Keuka home loss of the season, as they were 11-0 from Sweet Court, coming into the match and were on a 12-match win streak, counting their home finale last season.
 
"To go on the road, for three straight matches, and beat the three teams we lost to in season, it was a tremendous accomplishment for our team!" Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "Doing that and bringing home an E8 Championship for the first time in program history is a testament to the hard work this team puts in, day in and day out. We have made history and that will be a memory that will last forever!" Coach Honeycutt is in his first year as the Head Coach as he was last season's Interim Head Coach, making him 3-0 in the Empire 8 Tournament at the helm.

 

AU was led by Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), Casey Grange (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) and Cara Bratthauar (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area) in scoring as all three had double-digit points. Malone had a match-high 19-5 points from 17 kills, two service aces and one block assist. Grange had 16.0 points, all from kills and Bratthauar had 10.5 points from 10 kills and a block assist. Darian Ortiz (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael's) had a match-high 20 digs and tied for a match-high in service aces, along with Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) and Keuka's Kendra Waltz as each of them had four. Ortiz added two kills on two attacks while Sims added two kills and three block assists for 7.5 points. She also had a match-high in set assists with 47. Ortiz and Jamie Chun (Hilo, HI/Hilo) both added three assists.
 
Jade K. Wolfer (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) and Madalynn McGowan (Corona, CA/Norco) each added two aces to the team total, making 14 ace cards for the Saxons.
 
AU got off to an early 9-5 lead in the first set. They went on to never let the score become tied. With a 19-14 lead, late in the set, Grange went on a scoring rampage, totaling four kills during the final six points needed to win. Ortiz added one of her two kills as it was the set-clincher.
 
Despite losing the second set to the Wolves (20-7, 6-2 Empire 8), the Saxons were able to fight back from a 10-point deficit, keeping Keuka on its heels. They were down 17-7 before going on a 13-8 run before ending the set with the match tied, 1-1.
 
Once again, in the third set this time, Keuka was the first to get to 17 points after a three-point scoring run. AU only had 10 points at the time, but the Saxons battled back to only a four-point deficit, 19-15. Keuka scored two points before a service error, and then added one more to make it a six-point lead for the Wolves, 22-16. The Saxons went on a 7-1 scoring spree, highlighted by two kills from Malone, a kill from Grange, two aces by McGowan and two aces from Ortiz, tying the set, 23-23. Keuka got one more point after an AU attacking error, but kills from Malone and Bratthauar and a set-clinching ace by Sims closed out the set, giving AU the 2-1 match advantage.
 
The final set would go on to be a back-and-forth matchup with each team gaining and losing the lead multiple times. Keuka took a 20-18 lead before the Saxons retook it with three, unanswered points, coming from a Malone ace and a Grange kill (and Keuka attacking error), taking the 21-20 lead. Keuka got back on top with a Saxon service error and their own ace from Meghan Johnson.
 
Bratthauar tied the set, 22-22 with a kill. Wolfer took the lead with a service ace, 23-22. Grange closed out the set, the match and the championship tournament with a kill, coming off an assist from Sims and an unassisted kill, just tapping an over ball back down to a Wolves' front row player who sent the ball sailing down the net towards the scorer's table, resulting in the Alfred bench clearing to celebrate the first E8 crown in school history. The ball was coming over the net after a desperate dig that kept a Fiona McNeil (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt), sneaky tip attack from scoring the match-winning kill.
 
Grange was named the Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player for her efforts throughout the three road matches.
 
The Saxons will next see who they will be facing in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Women's' Volleyball Championship Tournament. The selection show will air on Monday, November 13 at 1:00pm (EST).  
Tuesday, Nov. 7 - First Round
No. 5 Alfred defeated No. 4 Nazareth, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 26-24) – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Keuka defeated No. 6 Utica, 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 25-27, 25-14) – BOX SCORE
 
Thursday, Nov. 9 - Semifinals
No. 5 Alfred defeated No. 1 St. John Fisher, 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-17) – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Keuka defeated No. 2 Hartwick, 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 15-9) – BOX SCORE

Saturday, Nov. 11 - Championship
No. 5 at Alfred defeated No. 3 Keuka, 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 26-24, 26-22) – BOX SCORE
 
2023 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Most Valuable Player
Casey Grange, Sr., MH, Alfred

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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