SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to kick off the Union Tournament on Friday at Viniar Athletic Center, falling, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15), to host Union College before sustaining a 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-22) setback to the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 3-7 overall with the losses and wraps up action at the Union Tournament tomorrow against Skidmore College (11 a.m.) and Wells College (1 p.m.). Union and Wentworth rise to 5-4 overall and 6-1 overall, respectively, with the wins.
 
Union 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15)
 
The Dutchwomen hit at a .345 clip in the first match of the day to come away with the victory. Union also fared well at the service line, finishing with a 13-1 edge in aces, and held a 5-3 margin in blocks and a 36-32 advantage in digs.
 
Sophomore middle blocker Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) hit .667 for the match on 11 kills and one error in 15 total attempts, while freshman setter/opposite Lauren DeVoe (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) tallied 15 assists and six digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Maddy Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) provided the team's highest dig output of the match with seven.
 
For Union, sophomore outside hitter Gillian Gore floored 10 kills, while sophomore setter Sage Shimamoto dished out 28 assists. Defensively, sophomore libero Kaylee Velasquez paced the Dutchwomen with 16 digs, while sophomore outside hitter/right side Lara Atalay served up six aces.
 
Wentworth 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-22)
 
Wentworth fashioned a .293 hitting percentage in the Cardinals' final match of the day in addition to holding the advantage in service aces (8-5) and digs (38-37). Both teams tallied three blocks.
 
DeVoe nearly posted a triple-double with seven kills, 14 assists and 10 digs, and she also hit efficiently with a .385 hitting percentage.
 
For Wentworth, freshman setter/right side Mary Zlotosch and junior outside hitter Leah Rogoz each recorded 10 kills, while Rogoz completed the double-double with 14 digs and added four service aces. Junior setter Katie Clouse distributed 25 assists, while junior setter Maddy Tomastik reached double figures in digs with 11.