PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team used an efficient .212 hitting percentage to down NCAA Division II Saint Michael's College, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-23), in a non-conference match on Thursday night at Memorial Hall.
 
The Cardinals' accurate attack proved to be the difference in the match, as they held the Purple Knights to .119 hitting. Plattsburgh State finished with a 5-2 edge in total team blocks, while both teams posted five service aces. Saint Michael's produced a strong showing in the back row, outgaining the Cardinals in digs, 54-44.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 11-13 overall with the win and hosts Skidmore College on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in its final home match of the season. Saint Michael's drops to 3-6 overall with the loss and next visits Assumption College in a 12 p.m. Northeast-10 match on Saturday, Oct. 15.

After Saint Michael's took an 8-5 lead in the first set, Plattsburgh State scored nine straight points, and a kill by freshman middle hitter Dani Borunda (Salt Lake City, Utah/West) gave the Cardinals a 14-8 advantage. The Purple Knights clawed all the way back, though, using a 4-1 spurt to take a 22-21 lead, and after the two teams traded points, the Cardinals received a kill from sophomore setter Sydney Gabriel (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) and benefited from a pair of Purple Knight attacking errors to post a 25-23 victory in the set.
 
Saint Michael's reversed Plattsburgh State's early momentum in the second, as the visitors tied the score at 12-all after trailing 10-5. The Cardinals countered with an 8-1 scoring spree, which staked them to a 20-13 cushion. Saint Michael's then answered that with a 7-1 tear to pull within 21-20, forcing a Plattsburgh State timeout. Sophomore outside hitter Sam Colombo (Patchogue, N.Y./Bellport) stopped the run with a kill before the Purple Knights tied the score at 22-all with a kill by freshman middle hitter Allie Statile and a service ace by senior libero/defensive specialist Natalie Moore. Plattsburgh State scored the final three points of the set, however, to claim a 25-22 victory in the second.
 
Both teams battled back and forth early in the third before Plattsburgh State scored six straight points to claim a 21-17 advantage. Saint Michael's retaliated with a six unanswered points of its own to take a 23-21 lead, with sophomore right side Gabby Ratte accounting for three kills and a solo block during the run. A Purple Knight service error and a kill by freshman middle hitter Tatyana Barlow (Palmdale, Calif./Pete Knight) knotted the tally at 23-all to force a Saint Michael's timeout, and the Cardinals finished off the match with a Purple Knight attacking error and a block assist by Colombo and Barlow to claim the 25-23 set three win.
 
Freshman outside hitter/right side Hunter Grotjohn (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) led the Cardinals with 11 kills, nine digs and three service aces, while Gabriel distributed 26 assists and hit .556 (5-0-9) for the match. Freshman defensive specialist Bryanne Yasui (Honolulu, Hawaii/Moanalua) defended 11 digs, while Borunda collected four total blocks (two solo, two assist) to go along with her seven kills.
 
For Saint Michael's, Statile led the way with 11 kills, while senior setter Catie Weller and sophomore setter Sarah Rodgers combined for 34 assists. Moore reinforced the Purple Knight back row with a match-high 24 digs.