NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team staved off several comeback attempts by Norwich University, as the Cardinals edged the Cadets, 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21), in non-conference action Friday night at Andrews Hall Gymnasium.
 
Plattsburgh State hit .170 for the match, which included a .205 hitting percentage in the fourth set. Norwich, meanwhile, was limited to .074 hitting for the evening. The Cardinals also finished the match with the upper hand in service aces (11-5), blocks (9-4) and digs (80-79).
 
With the win, Plattsburgh State rises to 5-11 overall. The Cardinals next take on St. John Fisher College (1 p.m.) and the College of New Rochelle (3 p.m.) tomorrow at the Skidmore Classic. Norwich slips to 5-7 overall with the loss and next visits Salem State University on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 6:30 p.m.
 
The Cardinals appeared to have the first set well in hand, as back-to-back service aces by junior outside hitter Megan Hyde (Schenectady, N.Y./Schalmont) staked the visitors to a 16-5 lead. Norwich stormed all the way back, though, and a run of eight straight points tied the score at 20-all. Plattsburgh State ended up scoring the final five points of the set, which included a pair of service aces by freshman defensive specialist Elora Sherman (Huntington Station, N.Y./Harborfields), to win the first, 25-20.
 
Norwich was the one to take the early lead in the second, but Plattsburgh State hung around by continuing to side out the Cadets midway through the set. A five-point Cardinal tear, however, gave the road team a lead it had not held in the frame since scoring the first point of the set, as a block assist by junior middle blocker/opposite Tatyana Barlow (Palmdale, Calif./Pete Knight) and sophomore middle blocker Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) gave Plattsburgh State a 20-18 cushion. Norwich scored five of the next six points in response and wound up winning the set, 25-22.
 
The third set featured back-and-forth runs between the two teams, as the Cardinals constructed a 19-13 lead before the Cadets battled back and made it a two-point score following a 4-0 tear. Plattsburgh State pulled away by scoring six of the set's final seven points, and junior outside hitter Brianna Coon (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) handed the Cardinals a 25-18 victory in the frame with a kill.
 
Norwich led early in the fourth, jumping out to an 8-3 advantage, but Plattsburgh State retaliated with four straight points. The Cadets won the next two points before a six-point Cardinal surge pinned Plattsburgh State to a 13-10 lead. Norwich broke up the run with a block assist, but the Cardinals went on another six-point scoring spree to take a commanding lead. Simmons capped off the run with a solo block, which extended the Plattsburgh State edge to 19-11. The Cadets were unable to recover from that deficit, and despite pulling within three with match point on the line, freshman middle blocker/opposite Ann Beauchamp (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) floored the match-clinching kill.
 
Hyde had a career match for the Cardinals, posting career-highs in kills (14) and digs (15) to record her first collegiate double-double. Freshman setter/opposite Lauren DeVoe (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) also tallied a double-double—her fifth of the season—with a career-high 39 assists and 13 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Maddy Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) defended 24 digs.
 
For Norwich, sophomore right side Kathryn Farnum led the way with 14 kills, while senior setter Emily Oliver distributed 39 assists. Junior defensive specialist Brianna Dawson led five Cadets with double-digit dig totals, finishing with 22 for the match.