Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to open the North Country Classic on Friday at Clarkson University's Alumni Gymnasium, falling to host Clarkson, 3-0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-12), before sustaining a 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-20) setback to St. John Fisher College.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 3-2 overall with the losses and finishes the weekend with matches at SUNY Canton (2 p.m.) and St. Lawrence University (6:30 p.m.) tomorrow. Clarkson climbs to 3-3 overall with the win, while St. John Fisher rises to 3-2 with the victory.
 
Clarkson 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-9, 25-17, 25-12)
 
Clarkson, which won the Potsdam Regional as a part of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2019, hit .324 for the match to come away with the win. The host Golden Knights also floored seven service aces and committed just three errors at the service line all match. Clarkson finished with a 7-1 edge in service aces and a 57-39 cushion in digs, though Plattsburgh State did hold a 6-1 advantage in blocks.
 
Senior opposite Kaitlyn Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) led the Cardinal attack with five kills, while sophomore setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) and senior setter/defensive specialist Olga Muka (Hicksville, N.Y./Holy Trinity Diocesan) dished out nine and eight assists, respectively. Defensively, sophomore defensive specialist/outside hitter Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) defended 12 digs and added three total blocks (one solo, two assist), while senior middle hitter Alicia Fisher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Science Skills) totaled four blocks (one solo, three assist).
 
For Clarkson, graduate student middle hitter/right side Gillian Kurtic and sophomore outside hitter Sara Galante mashed 14 and 12 kills, respectively, with Kurtic hitting .737 (14-0-19). Junior setter Isabelle Crow handed out 37 assists, while junior libero/defensive specialist Emma Baxter posted 15 digs.
 
St. John Fisher 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-20)
 
Plattsburgh State played St. John Fisher tough in the nightcap, nearly taking the first set while hanging close in the second and third.
 
St. John Fisher hit .244 for the match, while Plattsburgh State hit .066. The Rochester-based Cardinals held the upper hand in service aces (10-4), digs (30-29) and blocks (6-3) as well.
 
Zophy led the way for Plattsburgh State with nine kills and eight digs, while Rivers and Muka combined for 17 assists. Defensively, Muka had nine digs, while Fisher posted three block assists.
 
For St. John Fisher, junior outside hitter Lindsey DeBonis ignited the attack with 11 kills, while senior setter Katie Leaty and freshman setter Emily Brochey distributed 17 and 15 assists, respectively. Senior outside hitter Alea Steigerwald led the defense with seven digs and five block assists.