NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matches on the final day of the second conference pool play hosted by SUNY New Paltz at the Hawk Center Saturday, falling, 3-1 (25-17, 16-25, 25-20, 25-19), to SUNY Oneonta before dropping a 3-0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-13) decision to Oswego State.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 6-15 overall (1-5 SUNYAC) with the losses and hosts the Cardinal Quad next from Friday-Saturday, Oct. 12-13. The Cardinals open up the event on Friday with an 8 p.m. match against St. Lawrence University. Oneonta and Oswego rise to 8-14 overall (2-4 SUNYAC) and 13-8 overall (2-4 SUNYAC), respectively, with the wins.
 
Oneonta 3, Plattsburgh State 1 (25-17, 16-25, 25-20, 25-19)
 
Plattsburgh State put up a valiant effort against Oneonta in its first match of the day, limiting the Red Dragons to .153 hitting. Oneonta outgained Plattsburgh State in service aces (6-4), blocks (11-10) and digs (89-85).
 
The Cardinals took ended up taking a 9-8 lead in the first following three straight Red Dragon attacking errors, but a 5-0 surge put Oneonta ahead, 13-9. While freshman setter/opposite Lauren DeVoe (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) landed a kill to stop the run following a Cardinal timeout, the Red Dragons ended up cruising to a 25-17 victory in the set.
 
Plattsburgh State controlled the second set from the get go, as the Cardinals jumped out to an 8-1 lead following a block assist by sophomore middle blocker Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) and junior middle blocker/opposite Tatyana Barlow (Palmdale, Calif./Pete Knight). A kill by sophomore middle blocker Clara Culeton sparked a 5-0 Red Dragon run to draw Oneonta within two, but the Cardinals scored eight of the next nine points to stake themselves to a 16-7 advantage. Plattsburgh State continued to cruise until a block assist by freshman middle blocker/opposite Tara McGovern (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) and junior outside hitter Megan Hyde (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont) punctuated a 25-16 triumph in the second.
 
Early in the third, the Cardinals constructed leads of 10-7 and 11-8, but a five-point spurt by Oneonta handed the Red Dragons a 13-11 cushion. A block assist by McGovern and DeVoe followed by another by DeVoe and Simmons tied the score at 13-all, and after the Red Dragons sided out the Cardinals, Plattsburgh State went on a three-point tear to seize a 16-14 advantage. The two teams traded points until Oneonta capped off the third with a 6-0 run, and a kill by Culeton provided the final set score of 25-20.
 
Oneonta kicked off the fourth set with a 12-5 lead and never trailed from that point forward. In a set that featured 98 swings between the two teams—the most in any set—Oneonta's defense ultimately helped the Red Dragons hold on for a 25-19 victory in the fourth to claim the match. Plattsburgh State's sophomore Maddy Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) and Oneonta's junior defensive specialist Lindsay Pelaccio each had 10 digs in the set.
 
Simmons and Hyde each posted double-doubles, with Simmons recording 11 kills and 10 digs and Hyde tallying 11 kills and 12 digs. DeVoe handed out 26 assists and completed the double-double with 12 digs in addition to registering three service aces. Zophy defended a team-high 24 digs, while McGovern paced the front row defensively with a career-high five total blocks (three solo, two assist).
 
For Oneonta, Culeton provided 15 kills and a .306 hitting percentage, while junior setter Jessica Fowler doled out 46 assists. Pelaccio defended a match-high 36 digs, while junior middle blocker Victoria Moulder reinforced the front row with six total blocks (three solo, three assist).
 
Oswego 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-8, 25-20, 25-13)
 
Oswego hit at a .283 clip in the nightcap to come away with the straight-set victory. The Lakers held the upper hand in digs (71-58) and blocks (5-3), but both teams finished with two service aces.
 
The Lakers never trailed in the first set, hitting .351 and limiting the Cardinals to just two kills in a 25-8 victory in the frame.
 
Plattsburgh State hung around in the second set and tied the score at 11-all following a Simmons kill and a block assist by Simmons and freshman middle blocker/opposite Ann Beauchamp (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam). Oswego answered with a 5-0 run and ultimately won the second set, 25-20.
 
Oswego won the first nine rallies in the third until a Laker attacking error and a kill by Simmons put the Cardinals on the board. The Lakers' lead was never threatened the rest of the stanza, as they clinched the match with a 25-13 victory in the third.
 
Simmons paced Plattsburgh State with seven kills, while DeVoe handed out 18 assists. Defensively, Zophy and Simmons led the way with 18 digs and three block assists, respectively.
 
For Oswego, junior outside hitter Shauna O'Flaherty landed 16 kills, while junior setter Julia Flohr and senior setter Alison Berger combined for 30 assists running a 6-2 offense. Sophomore libero Emily Costa led four Lakers in double-digit dig figures with 23, while senior middle blocker Alison Sullivan finished with four total blocks (one solo, three assist).