Women's Volleyball | 11/11/2026 9:09:42 PM
No. 1 seed St. John Fisher University (23-6) and No. 3 seed Hartwick College (15-11) will meet for the 2026 Empire 8 Women's Volleyball Championship after earning victories in semifinal action on Wednesday, November 11. St. John Fisher rolled to a four-set win over No. 5 seed Alfred University, while Hartwick went on the road and earned a hard-fought five-set victory over No. 2 seed SUNY Geneseo.
St. John Fisher and Hartwick will meet for the 2026 E8 Women's Volleyball Championship from Manning-Napier Varsity Gymnasium at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 14. It is the second consecutive season in which the two teams will meet for the E8 title. Earlier this season, the Cardinals earned a three-set win at home against Hartwick on Oct. 10 by scores of 25-13, 25-14, 25-16. St. John Fisher hit .349 in the win, as Kaylene Noble led St. John Fisher with 11 kills and hit .391 to go along with 11 digs, while Lydia Frazier also slammed 11 kills. Lucille Walker led Hartwick with 10 kills, five digs and two blocks.
St. John Fisher is looking to win its seventh E8 title in the last seven seasons and third straight championship. St. John Fisher won four straight championships from 2019-2022, defeating Hartwick in the 2022 title match. Hartwick is looking for its first Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship and is in the title game for the second straight season and third time overall.
The winner of the 2026 Empire 8 Championship receives and automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship, which begins next weekend.
NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 3, NO. 5 ALFRED UNIVERSITY 1
Top-seeded St. John Fisher extended its winning streak to 16 matches, improving to 23-6 on the season after defeating No. 5 Alfred University, 25-17, 25-13, 24-26, 25-15 from Manning-Napier Varsity Gym.
Fisher won its 34th straight match against a conference opponent with Wednesday's victory. The Cardinals served 18 aces and out-hit Alfred .243 to .092 the win.
Lydia Fraser led the Cardinals (23-6) with 14 kills, six aces, and 20 points.
Kalyna Dannenberg added nine kills, six aces and three blocks.
Zofia Keogh recorded a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs.
Tied 8-8 in the first set, Dannenberg went back to serve, and Fisher scored the next nine points. The run included two of her aces and two kills from
Kaylene Noble. The Cardinals led 17-8 and won the set 25-17 on a solo block by
Ana Gutman.
Fisher hit .375 in the second set and held Alfred to -.045. Dannenberg's back-to-back aces put the Cardinals up 10-6. From 18-12, Fisher scored six straight points to reach 24-12, the last five with Fraser serving, including two aces. Gutman ended the set 25-13 with a kill.
Alfred opened the third set on a 4-0 run and led 16-12 before Fisher scored six straight points, five of them with Noble serving, to go up 18-16. Fraser had three kills in that run, and
Teagan Moore and Dannenberg added blocks. Dannenberg's back-to-back aces made it 24-20, one point from the match.
Down to their last point, the Saxons responded by scoring last six points to win 26-24 and force a fourth set. A service error gave the Saxons the ball, sending Moctezuma-Gonzalez to the service line with a 24-21 Cardinal lead. Two kills from Omelan and one from
Whitney Kilton (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City), as well as a Fisher attack error, put the Saxons on top, 25-24.
Jenesys Del Mar Moctezuma-Gonzalez (Bayamón, Puerto Rico/North Cobb) forced the fourth set with an ace.
Audrey Vogt took over the fourth set from the service line. With Fisher up 7-5, she served four straight points, three of them aces, to make it 11-5. Fraser had six kills in the set. Vogt came back later and stretched a 21-14 lead to 24-14, finishing that run with her fourth ace. Fraser ended the match with her 14th kill.
Senior
Carleigh Santavy (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake Northern) led the Saxons with 12.0 points on 11 kills and one ace.
Abigail Omelan (Tomball, TX/Tomball Memorial) followed with 9.0 points, all from kills. Senior
Madalynn McGowan (Corona, CA/Norco) had a team-high 12 digs and was followed by with nine digs, adding 3.0 points from two aces and one kill.
Gillian Dickerson (Frisco, TX/Wakeland) had 18 set assists, as Alfred finished the season with a 14-17 mark.
NO. 3 HARTWICK 3, NO. 2 SUNY GENESEO 2
After falling to the Knights in straight sets during the regular season, the Hawks bounced back with a five-set victory, taking the match by scores of 25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 19-25, and 15-8 at Carl Schrader Gymnasium.
Junior
Lucille Walker (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) led the Hawks offensively with 18 kills, hitting an impressive .441 for the match while also adding three total blocks. Senior
Isabella Gracias (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta) and senior
Sophia Palladino (Owego, N.Y./Owego Free Academy) each added 12 kills, while Gracias also contributed four total blocks and hit .313. Sophomore
Thylia Keoviengsamay (Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) directed the offense with 49 assists, while adding 16 digs for a double-double. Palladino chipped in 11 digs as well for her third double-double of the season, while junior
Malia Dake (South Glens Falls, N.Y./South Glens Falls) also recorded 11 digs.
As a team, Hartwick recorded 56 kills on 150 attacks, hitting .233 for the match. The Hawks also finished with 55 assists, 58 digs, seven total blocks, and eight service aces. Hartwick's offensive efficiency was particularly evident in the decisive fifth set, where the Hawks recorded 10 kills with just one attack error on 17 attempts, hitting .529.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading leads throughout the early stages. Geneseo held a 19-16 advantage late in the set, but Hartwick responded with a strong push to get back into the match. The Hawks eventually evened the score at 23-23 before taking the final two points to finish the set on a 4-0 run, with a service ace from sophomore
Olivia Pirkl (Cazenovia, N.Y./Cazenovia) securing the 25-23 victory.
Geneseo answered in the second set, building an early advantage before Hartwick battled back to keep the score close. The Hawks pulled within one at 22-23, but the Knights scored the final two points to take the set, 25-22, and even the match at one set apiece. Geneseo hit .484 in the second set, allowing them to even the semifinal game.
Hartwick regained control in the third set, establishing an early lead and continuing to build momentum. The Hawks opened up a 13-7 advantage before extending the margin to 20-14. Walker and Gracias helped fuel the offensive attack, while the Hawks continued to capitalize on Geneseo errors down the stretch. Hartwick closed out the set, 25-18, hitting .414 and taking a 2-1 match advantage.
The Knights responded once again in the fourth set, overcoming an early Hartwick lead to take control midway through the frame. Geneseo built a 12-9 advantage and continued to hold off the Hawks' attempts to close the gap. Hartwick made a late push, but the Knights maintained their advantage to force a decisive fifth set with a 25-19 victory.
In the deciding set, Hartwick came out firing, quickly establishing an 8-3 lead behind strong offensive execution and defensive pressure. Walker delivered three consecutive kills to close out the match as Hartwick secured the 15-8 victory and punched its ticket to the Empire 8 Championship.
For Geneseo, Sophie Hunter led all players with 21 kills while hitting .405. Ayla Pas'cal added 14 kills on a .393 hitting percentage, and Kathryn Barba contributed 12 kills and 17 digs. Jessica Macken paced the Knights with 40 assists, while Zooey Gagnier recorded a team-high 19 digs. Geneseo concludes its season with a 15-10 overall record.
2026 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 7 – First Round
No. 1 St. John Fisher defeated No. 8 SUNY Brockport, 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-8) – BOX SCORE
No. 2 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 7 Nazareth, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-12) – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Hartwick College defeated No. 6 Russell Sage, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 25-16, 25-19) – BOX SCORE
No. 5 Alfred defeated No. 4 Houghton, 3-2 (12-25, 25-22, 26-24, 21-25, 15-9) – BOX SCORE
Wednesday, November 11 – Semifinals (at Higher Seed)
No. 1 St. John Fisher University defeated No. 5 Alfred University, 3-1 (25-17, 25-13, 24-26, 25-15) – BOX SCORE
No. 3 Hartwick College defeated No. 2 SUNY Geneseo, 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-8) – BOX SCORE
Saturday, November 14 - Championship Final
No. 3 Hartwick College at No. 1 St. John Fisher University – 1 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS