Women's Volleyball | 11/10/2024 11:58:05 AM
Nazareth University, St. John Fisher University, Hartwick College, Houghton University, Alfred University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo and Russell Sage College will battle for the 2024 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship, which starts on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and wraps up Saturday, Nov. 16, with all matches played at the higher seed.
All eight teams will be in action for opening round play on Tuesday, Nov. 12, as No. 1 Nazareth will host No. 8 Russell Sage, No. 2 St. John Fisher hosts No. 7 Geneseo, No. 6 Brockport travels to take on No. 3 Hartwick and No. 5 Alfred makes the quick trip to face No. 4 Houghton. The winner of Nazareth vs. Russell Sage will take on the winner of Houghton vs. Alfred on Thursday, Nov. 14, while the winner of St. John Fisher vs. Geneseo will face the winner of Hartwick vs. Brockport, also on Thursday. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2024 Empire 8 Championship at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, Nov. 16 at a time to be determined.
The league champion receives an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship, which begins Nov. 21-23.
2024 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship Participants
No. 1 – Nazareth University (10-1 E8, 15-13 Overall)
No. 2 – St. John Fisher University (9-2 E8, 18-8 Overall)
No. 3 – Hartwick College (9-2 E8, 20-2 Overall)
No. 4 – Houghton University (7-4 E8, 10-14 Overall)
No. 5 – Alfred University (7-4 E8, 15-8 Overall)
No. 6 – SUNY Brockport (7-4 E8, 16-9 Overall)
No. 7 – SUNY Geneseo (6-5 E8, 9-17 Overall)
No. 8 – Russell Sage College (4-7 E8, 14-13 Overall)
Nazareth won the 2024 E8 Regular Season crown, finishing 10-1 in league play. Versatile senior Tessa Grover is tied for third in all of Division III with fourth triple-doubles on the season. She serves as both valuable hitter from the right side and can be Nazareth’s setter. Grover, a AVCA National Player of the Week for the second straight year, is averaging 3.83 assists, 3.07 kills, 2.31 digs and 0.59 blocks per set this season, while hitting .305. She is among the top-five in the league in hitting percentage, kills per set, blocks per set and total points per set. Leah Fusilli has 270 digs, 213 kills and a team-high 40 service aces, while Ella Kules leads the Golden Flyers with 5-1 assists and has added a 40 service aces. Jenna Mattison leads Nazareth with 285 digs. The Golden Flyers are looking to win their ninth E8 title and first since 2018.
St. John Fisher is looking to win its fifth Empire 8 Championship in the last six seasons. The No. 2 seed Cardinals have strong depth, with three players tallying at least 250 points on the seasons. First-year standout Lydia Fraser has 281 kills and 43 service aces to go along with 222 digs. The sophomore duo of Kaylene Noble and Ana Gutman has excelled this season. Noble, the 2023 E8 Player and Rookie of the Year, has a team-best 296 kills to go along with 252 digs. Gutman leads the E8 and is 13th nationally with a .375 hitting percentage and has added 196 kills. Reilly Morrow is second in the E8 with 8.86 assists per set, while junior libero Kiera Hartpence has 392 digs, averaging 4.13 per set, third best in the league.
Hartwick, the number three seed, enters the 2024 E8 Tournament with a 20-2 overall record this season and went 9-2 in league play. The Hawks are regionally ranked for the first time in program history. Braelyn Hornick, the 2022 Empire 8 Player of the Year, leads the league with 809 assists and 10.1 assists per set. She also has a team-high 224 digs. Senior Staecia Silofau is among the team leaders with 227 kills to go along with 198 digs, while Aaliyah Williams is fourth in the league with 0.78 blocks per set. Shaelyn Thornton has chipped in with 216 kills and 215 digs, while Shelby Swartz has a team-high 233 kills and 224 digs.
Houghton is in the Empire 8 Championship for the fifth time in program history. The Highlanders earned the No. 4 seed and will host its second tournament game since 2022. First-year Lilly Bentley is second in the league with a .312 hitting percentage and has a team-high 230 kills. Ella Smith is among the league leaders with 49 service aces and has added 265 digs. Ainslie Reimer leads Houghton with 337 digs and is second with 183 kills. Emma Cole is seventh in the league with 0.67 blocks per set and has 177 kills.
Alfred, the defending Empire 8 Champions, are in a familiar spot this season as the No. 5 seed and is 15-8 on the year. The Saxons are in the E8 Tournament for the sixth time in program history and fifth time since 2017. Junior Taylor Malone leads the team with 262 kills to go along with 152 digs. Carleigh Santavy is the team leader with a .233 hitting percentage to go along with 225 kills. Delaney Sims leads Alfred with 426 assists, while Jamie Chun has a team-high 355 digs.
SUNY Brockport, the No. 6 seed, is in its inaugural season as an Empire 8 member. Alenna Williamson leads the Golden Eagles with 271 kills to go along with 62 blocks. Maddy Howell and Lauren Emke are second and third, respectively in the league in blocks per set. Emke also has 136 kills, while hitting .252. Kaitlyn Jewett leads Brockport in assists and service aces, while Elsie Logan leads the E8 with 461 digs and is second with 4.85 digs per set.
SUNY Geneseo is the No. 7 seed in its first season as an E8 member. The Knights have four players with at least 125 kills on the season. Madison Gamberg has 191, with 247 points, while hitting .202 on the season. Kate Barba has 186 kills and 185 digs, while Zooey Gagnier is fourth in the E8, averaging 4.10 digs per set. Cory Elder leads the team with 50 blocks, while slamming 130 kills.
Russell Sage is in the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time as a league member. The Gators defeated SUNY Geneseo in three sets in the E8 regular season finale on Nov. 2 to earn the No. 8 seed. Macey Salvione leads the Gators and is second in the league, averaging 3.74 kills per set and 4.62 points per set. She also leads the conference with 77 service aces and 0.85 aces per set. Aniyah Kelley has 163 kills and a .232 hitting percentage, while Katelyn Atchinson has 338 digs, averaging 3.71 per set.
All four higher seeds won their regular season matchups against their first round opponents. Nazareth defeated Russell Sage in four sets on Oct. 11, while St. John Fisher earned a four-set win at home over Geneseo on Oct. 5. Hartwick and Brockport will meet for the second time in 10 days in the opening round, as the host Hawks won in four sets on Nov. 2. Houghton won on the road in four sets over Alfred on Oct. 15.
This weekend's championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X (@Empire8).
2024 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, November 12 (Quarterfinals at Higher Seed)
No. 8 Russell Sage at No. 1 Nazareth – 6 p.m.
No 7 SUNY Geneseo at No. 2 St. John Fisher – 6 p.m.
No. 6 SUNY Brockport at No. 3 Hartwick – 7 p.m.
No. 5 Alfred at No. 4 Houghton – 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 14 (Semifinals at Higher Seed)
Winner of Nazareth/Russell Sage vs. Winner of Houghton/Alfred – TBA
Winner of St. John Fisher/SUNY Geneseo vs. Winner of Hartwick/SUNY Brockport – TBA
Saturday, November 16 (Championship)
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – TBA
Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$4.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12
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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