SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of five-set matches against strong competition at the Union/Russell Sage Crosstown Challenge, falling to host Union College, 3-2 (25-11, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 15-11), before dropping a 3-2 (15-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 15-7) decision to Skidmore College.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 4-5 overall with the losses and next visits Oswego State on Friday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. in its State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener. Union rises to 6-5 overall, while Skidmore climbs to 2-7.
 
Union 3, Plattsburgh State 2 (25-11, 25-22, 17-25, 21-25, 15-11)
 
The Cardinals nearly pulled off a reverse sweep of the Dutchwomen in their first match of the day, winning the third and fourth sets by comfortable margins before dropping the fifth set, 15-11.
 
Union hit .195 as a team for the match, while Plattsburgh State fashioned a .187 hitting percentage. The Dutchwomen owned the upper hand in service aces (16-6), while the Cardinals were superior defensively with an 8-6 margin in blocks and a 73-65 cushion in digs.
 
The Dutchwomen cruised in the first set, as they went on a 14-0 run following a solo block by first-year middle hitter Jeannette Ashong (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington). The final point of that surge put Union out in front, 21-6, and the Dutchwomen took the set, 25-11.
 
Plattsburgh State took an early 4-2 lead in the second after two kills by junior outside hitter Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) and a termination by senior right side Jenn Braun (Garrison, N.Y./Walter Panas), but Union rattled off five straight points to seize a 7-4 advantage. The Dutchwomen held on to that momentum until the Cardinals took a 16-15 lead on a 5-0 run, and a Zophy termination capped that surge. The Cardinals eventually took a 21-18 advantage on an Ashong kill, but Union scored seven of the set's final eight points to win the second, 25-22.
 
While the Cardinals opened up a 7-2 advantage in the third, the Dutchwomen eventually took an 11-10 lead following a 4-0 run. The two teams traded points until Plattsburgh State scored seven unanswered points, and a kill by first-year outside hitter/right side Sanaia Estime (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead) pinned the Cardinals to a 19-12 cushion. Plattsburgh State cruised down the stretch and won the third set, 25-17.
 
The Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fourth and never trailed from that point forward, though the Dutchwomen kept it close and ultimately cut the gap to two at 23-21. Ashong and Braun combined for a block before a Union attacking error handed Plattsburgh State a 25-21 triumph in the fourth.
 
Both teams played close in the early going of the fifth set, but the Cardinals surged ahead 9-6 following a kill and a block by graduate student middle hitter Alicia Fisher (Brooklyn, N.Y./Science Skills) and a kill by first-year setter/right side Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep). Fisher answered a Union point with a kill to push the margin to 10-7, but the Dutchwomen tied the score at 10-all with three straight points. Estime put Plattsburgh State back out in front with a kill, but Union scored the final five points in the set to pull out the victory.
 
Zophy and Braun each notched 12 kills, with Zophy adding 19 digs to complete the double-double. Ganz handed out 28 assists and defended 12 digs for a double-double, while Ashong finished with five total blocks (one solo, four assist).
 
For Union, junior right side Keara Page, first-year outside hitter Shannon McGrath and junior outside hitter Caroline Fraser floored 15, 13 and 10 kills, respectively, while junior setter Brooke Fleming and senior setter Haley Kresch combined for 41 assists. First-year defensive specialist/libero Georgia Pool finished with a match-high 21 digs.
 
Skidmore 3, Plattsburgh State 2 (15-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 15-7)
 
The Thoroughbreds overcame a 2-1 deficit in sets won, winning the fourth and fifth frames to capture the victory.
 
Plattsburgh State hit .179 for the match compared to Skidmore's .144 hitting percentage, and the Cardinals had the upper hand in service aces (14-13) and blocks (9-7). The Thoroughbreds owned a 62-57 advantage in digs.
 
The Cardinals relied on a 7-0 run midway through the first set to put themselves out in front, as a pair of Thoroughbred attacking errors gave Plattsburgh State a 21-12 advantage. Estime closed out the set with a pair of service aces to give the Cardinals a 25-16 win in the first.
 
While Skidmore controlled the momentum in the early going of the second, Plattsburgh State went on a 4-0 tear to take a 20-18 advantage. Six straight Thoroughbred points, however, put the set out of reach for the Cardinals, and Skidmore took the second, 25-21.
 
Plattsburgh State's 7-1 surge midway through the third put the Cardinals on top, 13-7, and while the Thoroughbreds eventually stormed back and took a 17-16 lead, a 5-0 Plattsburgh State spurt that was capped off by two Ganz terminations handed the Cardinals a 21-17 edge. After the two teams traded points, an Estime kill sealed a 25-21 win in the third for Plattsburgh State.
 
Despite the close final score in the fourth, Skidmore never trailed. The Cardinals staved off set point on five occasions, with a Thoroughbred attacking error drawing Plattsburgh State within one at 24-23. Skidmore's junior outside hitter Jo Blanco landed a kill during the next rally to clinch a 25-23 triumph in the fourth.
 
Plattsburgh State scored the first two points of the fifth set, as Braun posted a kill and Estime landed a service ace. Skidmore got the serve back only to have Ashong and Braun combine for a block to extend the Cardinal advantage to 3-1. The Thoroughbreds scored the next four points to take a 6-3 lead and never trailed from that point forward. Down 14-4, Plattsburgh State fought off match point three times, as Fisher registered a pair of kills and Ganz landed a termination. However, Skidmore eventually took the match with a kill by first-year outside hitter Maya Stolarz.
 
Braun ignited the Cardinal attack with 14 kills, while Ganz and junior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) combined for 27 assists. Rivers also excelled at the service line with five aces. Defensively, junior defensive specialist/libero Shannon Fitzpatrick (Westtown, N.Y./Rhinebeck) defended 10 digs, while Ashong totaled six blocks (four solo, two assist).
 
For Skidmore, Blanco and first-year outside hitter Jazlin Chen finished with 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while senior setter/right side Audrey Powell defended 20 digs. Junior defensive specialist Sophia Wittemyer led the defense with 16 digs.