PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team showed no ill effects after a 10-day layoff on Saturday morning, dispatching visiting Paul Smith's College in three sets at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals won their second sweep of the season over the NAIA Sunrise Conference-affiliated Bobcats by scores of 25-13, 25-8, 25-14.
Plattsburgh improves to 9-15 overall while the Bobcats drop to 0-11.
Plattsburgh's Kristin Saheim led all attackers with six kills and she had a .750 hitting percentage without any errors, to go along with six service aces. Susan Bodkin and Theresa Lilly chipped in five kills apiece and both players hit .714 without making an error. Bodkin also directed a Cardinal offense that had a .339 attack efficiency by making 18 assists.
Lauren Beattie led the Bobcats, who hit minus-.100 as a team, with three kills. Nicole Lathrop added four assists and three digs.
The Cardinals benefited from 17 service aces, but were fortunate that 12 errors of their own from the line didn't come back to haunt them.
Plattsburgh got off to a fast start in the first two sets for a comfortable lead, hitting .400 in the opener and .391 in the second.
However, the team couldn't sustain that momentum in its second match later in the afternoon against Clarkson. The visiting Golden Knights spoiled Plattsburgh's Senior Day with a 25-13, 25-9, 25-15 non-conference win. Clarkson now stands at 18-5 overall while Plattsburgh is 9-16.
Sara Artus led all attackers with 15 kills as the Knights' offense hit .216 for the match. Jenna Stock chipped in 23 assists, eight kills and 12 digs and Megan Mahon came off the bench to spike eight kills.
Kaitlyn Bakker paced Plattsburgh with five kills.
Before the match, seniors Bodkin and Saheim were recognized for their contributions to the program. Bodkin had six assists and 10 digs in her last home appearance, while Saheim had three blocks.
Plattsburgh jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set, taking advantage of opponent attack and service errors. After a 4-0 run by the Golden Knights, the Cardinals reclaimed an 11-9 advantage. But then Artus took over with six kills during a 12-point run to help Clarkson seize control, making it 21-11. The Liberty League school finished the set with a .333 hitting percentage and held Plattsburgh to minus-.091.
Things didn't fare any better for the Cardinals in the second set, hitting below zero again at .206.
