Women's Volleyball | 11/8/2025 5:11:01 PM
The top four seeds advanced in the 2025 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament after earning victories in quarterfinal action on Saturday, Nov. 8. No. 1 St. John Fisher University knocked off No. 8 seed Alfred University, while No. 2 seed Hartwick College defeated No. 7 Utica University. No. 3 SUNY Brockport earned the victory over No. 6 Russell Sage College, while No. 4 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 5 Houghton University. All four quarterfinal matches ended in three-set sweeps.
Semifinal action will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 12. No. 1 seed St. John Fisher will face No. 4 SUNY Geneseo in the first semifinal match at 6 p.m. from Manning-Napier Varsity Gymnasium at 6 p.m. No. 2 Hartwick will host No. 3 SUNY Brockport in the second semifinal, also at 6 p.m. from Lambros Arena. The two semifinal winners will meet for the championship at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Earlier this season, St. John Fisher defeated semifinal opponent SUNY Geneseo in three sets, 25-22, 25-12, 25-20 from Schrader Gymnasium on Oct. 4, as Kaylene Noble led the way for the Cardinals with 18 kills, while Riley Morrow added 35 assists. Hartwick defeated semifinal foe SUNY Brockport in four sets from Jim and John Vlogiantis Gymnasium in Brockport to close out the regular season on Nov. 1 behind 16 kills and 10 digs from Shelby Swartz.
The Cardinals are looking to win their second straight E8 title and sixth in the last seven years, while Hartwick, Brockport and Geneseo are all looking to secure their first E8 crown.
NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 3, NO. 8 ALFRED 0
The Cardinals extended their winning streak to 27 matches in the three set win over Alfred. St. John Fisher is now 27-1 on the season, while Alfred had its season end with a 12-18 mark.
NO. 2 HARTWICK 3, NO. 7 UTICA 0
Hartwick made quick work of Utica in the 25-12, 25-15, 25-15 win. The Hawks improved to 20-10 overall, while Utica finished the year 13-17.
NO. 3 SUNY BROCKPORT 3, NO. 6 RUSSELL SAGE 0
The SUNY Brockport women's volleyball team swept Russell Sage, 3-0, at The Vlog in opening round play of the Empire 8 Tournament. The Golden Eagles improved to 17-8 overall, while that Gators finished 2025 with an 11-14 mark.
After falling behind early in the opening set, Brockport dug deep late to pull out the point, 26-24. The squad got off to better start in the second, 11-6. The visiting Gators tied it up at 11-11 before the home team turned it on. A 7-0 run would clinch the second set, 25-15.
With their backs against the wall, the Gators came out swinging to take a quick 8-2 lead I the third. Four straight aces from
Gianna Felipe would spark what became a 12-1 run for the Golden Eagles. They would march on to another 25-15 win to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Brockport benefitted from nine aces on the serve, as both Gianna Feilpe and
Luba Butcher had four in the match. On the stat sheet, the Golden Eagles earned the advantage nearly across the board in kills (39-23), assists (35-20), and digs (53-41).
Alexis Sison registered a match-best 13 kills to lead the way on 32 attempts (.344).
Madisen Jones hit double digits as well, finishing with 10 kills.
Sison also led the group with 13 digs on the other side of the action.
Gianna Felipe totaled 11 digs and
Kaitlyn Jewett had 10 as well.
Grace Ippoliti played well during her rotation with nine digs.
Jewett's passing greatly impacted the Brockport attack, as she racked up 27 assists in the match. In the middle,
Alenna Williamson got up for three solo blocks to lead the defensive effort.
Ana Parella had two solos and
Luba Butcher added one as well.
NO. 4 SUNY GENESEO 3, NO. 5 HOUGHTON 0
The SUNY Geneseo women's volleyball team hosted No. 5 Houghton in the Empire 8 quarterfinals Saturday afternoon, and secured a 3-0 victory to advance to the semifinals. The Knights now hold a 15-11 overall record, while Houghton had its season end with a 13-12 record.
Geneseo opened the first match with intensity, pulling ahead by eight points early on. Houghton battled to keep it close, but the Knights stormed ahead to take a 25-19 win.
McKenna Callari and
Carolyn Mack recorded two service aces each in the set.
The second set was tightly contested for the first half, until Geneseo broke things open at 21-14. From there, the Knights were able to hang on to take a 25-18 win over the Highlanders.
Sophie Hunter led the Knights' attack with four kills.
The Knights stayed relentless in the third set, not giving the Highlanders an inch. With the score at 10-5, Geneseo scored ten consecutive points to give themselves a 20-5 lead. The Knights then closed out the set with a commanding 25-7 victory to complete the sweep.
Zooey Gagnier was a defensive standout with 16 digs
, while Carolyn Mack dished out 29 assists and recorded four points.
Ayla Pas'cal and
Cory Elder contributed four blocks each, while Hunter and Barba led the offense with nine and eight kills, respectively.
2025 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 8 – First Round
No. 1 St. John Fisher defeats No. 8 Alfred – 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) – BOX SCORE
No. 2 Hartwick defeats No. 7 Utica – 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-15) – BOX SCORE
No. 3 SUNY Brockport defeats No. 6 Russell Sage – 3-0 (26-24, 25-15, 25-15) – BOX SCORE
No. 4 SUNY Geneseo defeats No. 5 Houghton – 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-7) – BOX SCORE
Wednesday, November 12 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 4 SUNY Geneseo at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 6 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 3 SUNY Brockport at No. 2 Hartwick – 6 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, November 15 - Championship Final
Winner of Semifinal Game 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal Game 2 at Highest Remaining Seed – 1 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Site: Higher Seeds for all games
Admission
$10.00 - Adults
$2.00 - Students and seniors with ID
Free - Children under 12