PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Playing both its final SUNYAC and home matches of the season, the Plattsburgh State volleyball team fell to Oneonta State and SUNY Cortland on Saturday at Memorial Hall.

The Cardinals slipped to 5-18 and 0-9 in conference play with the two losses.

MATCH ONE: Oneonta State 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-17)
Shortly after seniors Maggie Schrantz and Meghan Clifford were introduced for their final two home matches, Plattsburgh State opened up a 1-0 lead on the Red Dragons when freshman Noelle Miller tallied her first termination of the match.
 
At first, the Cardinals didn't find Oneonta State to be much of a challenge as the home squad opened up a 12-10 lead in the opening frame. The Red Dragons, though, responded with a 7-1 surge which put them in control for the remainder of the set.
 
Jill Darpino was the main catalyst of the run, amassing a pair of kills as well as a solo block during that stretch. Matching wits with Darpino and the rest of the Red Dragons would prove difficult down the stretch for the home team.
 
Amanda Robinson and Noelle Miller joined forces at the front of the net for a block which pulled Plattsburgh State within three, 20-17, but the Red Dragons sprinted to the finish on a 5-0 run to give them a 1-0 edge. Jessica Pelaccio strung together back-to-back service aces to finish things off in the opening set.
 
With the goal of knotting the match at one set apiece in mind, the Cardinals used kills from Noelle Miller and Schrantz as well as a pair of Red Dragon miscues to grab an early 4-2 advantage in the middle frame.
 
Oneonta State didn't wait long to bounce back as they embarked on a lengthy 18-4 run to seize control of the match. During the scoring spree, Lauren Consiglione amassed four service aces before Lauren Pennino added another to close out the run.
 
Plattsburgh State closed to within 10 points by making the score 24-14 after an Emily Miller termination, but Darpino gave the Red Dragons a 2-0 lead by hammering down another kill for the final point of the set.
 
In the final frame, the Cardinals still couldn't find a way to break through Oneonta State's defense on a consistent basis. The Red Dragons jumped out to a 10-3 lead and Plattsburgh State could never fully recover from that point.
 
Trailing 21-10, the Cardinals made use of an 8-3 run to make the score 24-17. During that stretch, both Robinson and Schrantz added a kill while Emily Miller and Schrantz teamed up for a block.
 
Even though Plattsburgh State managed to stave off three match points, the Red Dragons earned the win when Natalia Poljak floored a kill.
 
The Cardinals' attack plan was slowed by Oneonta State as the home team hit just .030 in the three-set bout. Schrantz, Robinson and Noelle Miller tied for the team lead with five kills each. Clifford passed out 15 assists and Jordynne Ales added 12 digs.
 
Darpino swung at a .240 clip for the Red Dragons and floored a match-best 10 kills. Coniglione finished with seven of Oneonta State's 15 service aces as well as a match-high 12 digs.
 
MATCH TWO: SUNY Cortland 3, Plattsburgh State 1 (25-17, 25-13, 18-25, 25-23)
In a match of stark contrasts, the Cardinals nearly forced a fifth set with the SUNAC Tournament-bound Red Dragons by playing some excellent defense in the final pair of frames.
 
Plattsburgh State could do no wrong early on the first set with five of their first six points coming by way of terminations from four different players. Their 6-5 edge, though, didn't last long as SUNY Cortland's potent offense finally began to click.
 
A 4-0 run which began with a kill from Mary Kelly gave the Red Dragons the lead for good, but Plattsburgh State battled back to knot matters at 13-all after a 3-0 spurt which was bookended by SUNY Cortland error and a service ace from Schrantz.
 
From that point on, though, SUNY Cortland buckled down and put its multi-pronged offense on display. Five different student-athletes smashed down kills during a match-clinching 12-4 run. Janine Patora and Sydney Hayward each contributed a trio of terminations to the Red Dragons' cause during that span.
 
SUNY Cortland channeled its hot-hitting ways into the second set where it opened up the frame by rolling up a 12-6 edge on the home team. A pair of kills from Emily Miller coupled with a Noelle Miller/Miranda Sheffer rejection as well as a Cortland error allowed the home team to close within three, 15-12.
 
With that, though, the Red Dragons closed out the set with a 10-1 run to take a 2-0 lead. Jessie Allen produced a kill, a solo block and a block assist for the Red Dragons during the set-ending run.
 
In the third set, the Cardinals were able to take advantage of a sloppy SUNY Cortland squad in order to gain some ground. Eight of the first 15 Plattsburgh State points came on errors of some kind by the Red Dragons.
 
Additionally, the Cardinals saw their offensive numbers increase drastically. Plattsburgh State hit .258 in the third frame and a spirited defensive effort limited the Red Dragons to an attacking clip of just .091.
 
By way of a 25-18 win in the set, the Cardinals forced a fourth frame which turned out to be the most exciting of the day. Plattsburgh State owned a 19-16 lead late in the frame, but SUNY Cortland would regroup and close things out on a 9-4 run to end the Cardinals' bid for five-set volleyball.
 
Emily Miller had a team-high nine kills during the four-set bout while Schrantz (10), Clifford (12), Ales (13) and Sheffer (14) each reached double-digits in digs.
 
Plattsburgh State will travel to Oneonta, N.Y., next Friday and Saturday to take part in the Oneonta Dig Pink Invitational. The Cardinals will begin their slate of matches of the 2014 season with a 6:30 p.m., battle against Ithaca College on Friday night.