SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team kicked off the Skidmore Invitational with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-17, 25-23) victory over Russell Sage College at Skidmore College's Williamson Sports Center on Friday evening.
 
The Cardinals hit .126 for the match and limited the Gators to .102 hitting, including a -.071 hitting percentage for Russell Sage in the second set. Plattsburgh State owned the upper hand in service aces (9-1) and blocks (5-0), while Russell Sage held a slight 68-64 edge in digs.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 7-14 overall with the win and closes out its season tomorrow with matches against Union College (10 a.m.) and the Rochester Institute of Technology (12 p.m.). Russell Sage falls to 4-23 overall with the loss and closes out its 2022 campaign tomorrow against Skidmore (12 p.m.) and Union College (2 p.m.).
 
Russell Sage held the momentum and the lead for much of the first set and brought up set point following a kill by junior right side Caitlin Hammecker. First-year middle hitter Jeannette Ashong (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) tied the score at 24-all with a kill before Hammecker terminated again to bring up set point. Ashong sided out the Gators with a kill once again before junior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) gave the Cardinals the lead with a termination. First-year outside hitter Maggie Lyon (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) hammered down a kill to hand Plattsburgh State a 27-25 victory in the first.
 
Down 13-10 in the second, the Cardinals went on a six-point tear, and a solo block by graduate student middle hitter Alicia Fisher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Science Skills) put Plattsburgh State out in front, 16-13. The Cardinals never trailed from that point forward in the set, and first-year setter/right side Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep) landed a service ace to seal a 25-17 triumph for Plattsburgh State in the second.
 
While the Cardinals opened up a 17-13 advantage in the third on a service ace by Ganz, the Gators went on a 7-1 spurt to construct a 20-18 cushion. Graduate student right side Kaitlyn Bjelko (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) each floored kills to tie the score at 20-all, and after a kill by graduate student middle hitter Celia Gagnon put Russell Sage back up by one, three Gator miscues and a kill by senior right side Jenn Braun (Garrison, N.Y./Walter Panas) comprised a 4-0 Cardinal run that brought up match point. Russell Sage drew within one before junior outside hitter Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) cemented the Plattsburgh State win with a kill.
 
Braun led the Cardinal attack with 10 kills and a .269 hitting percentage, while Rivers and Ganz combined for 29 assists. Ganz completed the double-double with 10 digs and added four service aces, while the defense was led by Zophy's 18 digs and Fisher's four total blocks (two solo, two assist).
 
For Russell Sage, Hammecker tallied 14 kills and a .387 hitting percentage, while senior defensive specialist Elaina Moisidis defended 20 digs.