PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team finished the Best Western Plus-Ground Round Cardinal Classic with a winning record, as the Cardinals won twice on Saturday at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals topped Utica College, 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-22), before defeating The Sage Colleges, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 26-28, 26-24).
 
As a result of her success throughout the weekend, freshman setter/opposite Lauren DeVoe (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was joined by junior middle blocker/right side Marissa Ixtlahuac of SUNY Canton, junior outside hitter/libero Alisha Flanagan of Plymouth State University, sophomore outside hitter Gabby Rowell of Sage, senior middle hitter Nicole Herringshaw of Utica and sophomore outside hitter Danielle Kralik of Mount Saint Mary College.
 
Canton took home the classic championship, being the only undefeated team at 4-0. Plymouth State and Plattsburgh State both went 3-1, Sage went 1-3 and Utica and Mount Saint Mary both went 0-3.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 3-1 overall with the wins and next competes at the Ducks Classic hosted by the Stevens Institute of Technology from Friday-Saturday, Sept. 7-8. The Cardinals face Kean University (6 p.m.) and Swarthmore College (8 p.m.) on Friday before taking on host Stevens (11 a.m.) and the College of Mount Saint Vincent (1 p.m.) on Saturday.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, Utica 0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-22)
 
The Cardinals hit .245 for the match against Utica in addition to winning the battle at the service line with six aces to the Pioneers' two. Plattsburgh State also finished with a 54-43 edge in digs and 5-2 cushion in blocks.
 
The two teams were even for the early stages of the first set before the Cardinals scored eight of the next nine points. A block assist by freshman middle blocker/opposite Ann Beauchamp (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) and junior outside hitter Megan Hyde (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont) capped off the surge and gave the Cardinals a 21-14 lead. That spurt wound up being the difference in a 25-18 victory in the first.
 
Plattsburgh State dominated the second set early, going on a six-point tear before adding a 5-0 run to claim a 14-4 advantage. Utica was never able to recover from the slow start, and the Cardinals took the second set, 25-13.
 
The Pioneers showed mettle by responding with a dominant start to the third, seizing leads of 13-7 and 15-9. Plattsburgh State fought back with a six-point scoring spree, and a Beauchamp kill knotted the score at 15-all. The two teams battled back and forth before Plattsburgh State closed the set with four consecutive points, and a service ace by freshman defensive specialist Elora Sherman (Huntington Station, N.Y./Harborfields) sealed the match victory.
 
Junior outside hitter Brianna Coon (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) hit .474 with 11 kills and just two errors in 19 total attempts, while DeVoe posted a stat line of five kills, 21 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) hit .563 for the match and added three total blocks (one solo, two assist), while sophomore defensive specialist Abby Bone (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) defended 10 digs.
 
Herringshaw led Utica with 12 kills, while senior outside hitter Hannah Voss tallied 10 digs. Senior setter Marissa Faroni kept the offense running with 18 assists.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, Sage 1 (25-19, 25-23, 26-28, 26-24)
 
Sage gave Plattsburgh State all it could handle in the nightcap, as the three of the four sets were decided by two points.
 
The Cardinals hit .269 for the match, while the Gators fashioned a .199 hitting percentage. Plattsburgh State held an 11-9 margin in service aces, while Sage posted a 7-5 advantage in blocks. The Cardinals outdug the Gators by a 53-42 cushion.
 
Plattsburgh State jumped out a big lead early in the first, as Sherman posted two service aces during a 6-0 run that gave the Cardinals a 10-2 advantage. Sage was unable to draw any closer than four points the rest of the set, and Plattsburgh State took an early 1-0 lead in sets won.
 
The two teams traded points and runs in the second. Simmons handed the Cardinals a 23-21 edge with a kill before the Gators tied the score on a service error and a kill by freshman outside hitter Emma Parkington. Coon forced set point with a kill, while a Gator attacking error sealed a 25-23 Cardinal victory in the set.
 
Sage was on the verge of cruising to a win in the third, and a Parkington kill brought up set point at 24-20. The Cardinals once again rallied with Sherman at the service line, as a Simmons kill and two Sherman aces tied the score at 24-all before Hyde brought up match point with a kill. A service error brought the serve back to Sage, and though DeVoe terminated to bring up match point once again, the Gators won three straight points to take the set, 28-26.
 
The fourth set looked marked for Sage early on, as the Gators constructed a commanding 13-4 lead. Plattsburgh State chipped away, though, first with a 4-0 run and later with another 4-0 surge to draw within two at 22-20. Sage brought up set point at 24-22, but Plattsburgh State won the serve back and never relinquished it. Sherman punctuated the match with an ace, as the Cardinals claimed the fourth, 26-24.
 
DeVoe fell just short of a triple-double with 14 kills, 21 assists and eight digs, while Simmons hit .643 on 10 kills and one error in 14 total attempts. Sophomore setter/defensive specialist Allyssa Rock (West Chazy, N.Y./Beekmantown) was the other piece of the setting tandem, as she distributed 16 assists. Sophomore defensive specialist Maddy Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) defended 11 digs, while Sherman ripped six service aces.
 
For Sage, Parkington hit .455 on 10 kills and no errors in 22 total attempts, while sophomore setters Brooke Monty and Courtney Formosa dished out 23 and 20 assists, respectively. Junior libero Lidia LoPorto finished with a match-high 16 digs.