PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team won for the third time in four matches, defeating Vermont State University Johnson, 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-16), in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Memorial Hall.
 
The Cardinals hit .157 (33-19-89) for the match and limited the Badgers to .000 (12-12-64) hitting while holding the upper hand in service aces (15-8) and digs (39-34). Both teams finished with four blocks.
 
First-year right side Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) led the Plattsburgh State attack with nine kills, while senior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) distributed 15 assists and posted four service aces. Defensively, senior libero Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) kept up her State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) lead in digs per set with 18 digs for the evening, while first-year middle hitter Katie Salphine (Le Roy, N.Y./Le Roy) notched a career-high-tying three block assists.
 
For VTSU Johnson, sophomore setter/outside hitter Max Ludlow led the way with four kills and 11 digs.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 10-7 overall with the win and next visits SUNY Oneonta on Friday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. VTSU Johnson falls to 8-12 overall with the loss and next hosts Husson University on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 12 p.m.
 
The Badgers hung around in the first set before the Cardinals won five straight rallies to take a 20-12 lead. After a VTSU Johnson point, first-year outside hitter Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas/Bishop Lynch) contributed three kills to a 5-0 run to close the first, a set in which Plattsburgh State won, 25-13.
 
VTSU Johnson took leads of 9-8 and 10-9 before a 6-0 Cardinal surge—which saw three service aces from Zophy and three kills from first-year outside hitter/right side Iris Mulvey (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood)—gave Plattsburgh State a 15-10 advantage it would not relinquish. The Badgers managed to pull within one at 18-17, but the Cardinals scored four consecutive points to give them the separation they needed to ultimately take the second, 25-22.
 
Both teams traded points for the majority of the third set, but after VTSU Johnson cut the gap to 17-15, the Cardinals won eight of the contest's final nine points to clinch the match with a 25-16 victory in the third. First-year defensive specialist KC Burke (Murrieta, Calif./Northfield Mount Hermon [Mass.]) accounted for the final two points of the evening, serving up a pair of aces.