PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team posted a pair of four-set wins to close out action at the Cardinal Classic on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall, defeating SUNY Poly, 3-1 (25-20, 25-7, 24-26, 25-6), before knocking off SUNY Potsdam, 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21). The Cardinals' match against Potsdam served as a non-conference contest.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 3-0 overall with the wins and next squares off with Alfred University on Friday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Skidmore Classic. SUNY Poly drops to 0-2 overall with the loss, while Potsdam falls to 1-2 overall with the setback.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, SUNY Poly 1 (25-20, 25-7, 24-26, 25-6)
 
The Cardinals dominated the stat sheet against the Wildcats, holding the upper hand in service aces (17-6), blocks (5-1) and digs (65-47) while hitting .198 as a team and holding SUNY Poly to -.107 hitting.
 
First-year outside hitter/right side Iris Mulvey (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) keyed the attack with nine kills and a .467 hitting percentage, while senior libero Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) defended a match-high 25 digs and floored four service aces. First-year student KC Burke (Murrieta, Calif./Northfield Mount Hermon [Mass.]) served up five aces in her collegiate debut, while senior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) distributed 16 assists and recorded four service aces.
 
For SUNY Poly, junior outside hitter Brennah Durfee registered four kills and 10 digs.
 
Despite the Wildcats jumping out to a 7-4 lead in the first set, the Cardinals scored nine straight points, and a Mulvey kill put Plattsburgh State up, 13-7. While SUNY Poly hung around late in the stanza—pulling as close as two points late—kills by sophomore outside hitter Maggie Lyon (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), Mulvey and first-year outside hitter Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas/Bishop Lynch) gave the Cardinals a 25-20 victory in the first.
 
The second set wound up becoming a lopsided affair for Plattsburgh State, as the Cardinals notched 11 consecutive points, five of which came off service aces by Burke. Plattsburgh State took the second set by a 25-7 score.
 
SUNY Poly jumped out to a 16-8 lead in the third, but Plattsburgh State clawed all the way back, with sophomore middle hitter Jeannette Ashong's (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) solo block handing the Cardinals a 24-23 lead. With match point on the line, the Wildcats proceeded to win the next three rallies to prevail, 26-24, and force a fourth set.
 
Plattsburgh State fired on all cylinders early in the fourth set, and Mulvey recorded a kill to put the Cardinals up, 11-1. SUNY Poly was unable to score consecutive points during the stanza, and Plattsburgh State finished off the match with a 25-6 triumph in the fourth.
 
Plattsburgh State 3, Potsdam 1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21)
 
The Cardinals capped off the weekend with a morale-boosting victory over North Country rival Potsdam, winning the final three sets after dropping the opening frame. The two teams will meet again with placement in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) standings on the line on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m.
 
Plattsburgh State held a 6-4 advantage in blocks and a 76-58 cushion in digs, while Potsdam owned the upper hand at the service line with a 13-6 edge in aces. The Cardinals hit .255 as a team while holding the Bears to an .088 attacking percentage.
 
Girma's 16-kill, 15-dig performance helped lead the way for the Cardinals, while Mulvey registered 12 kills and hit .550 for the match. Rivers tallied 24 assists, while Zophy and first-year defensive specialist Katie Rachwal (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) each defended 21 digs, with Rachwal's total serving as a career high.
 
For Potsdam, junior right side Alyssa Adams finished with a 10-kill, 10-dig double-double.
 
Potsdam controlled the tempo early and went on to construct a 17-10 lead in the first set, but Plattsburgh State battled all the way back with a 6-0 spurt. Ashong landed a service ace to tie the score at 19-all. The Bears then responded with four unanswered points, and while a pair of kills by first-year middle hitter Katie Salphine (Le Roy, N.Y./Le Roy) pulled the Cardinals back within one, Potsdam scored the final two points of the set to take the first, 25-22.
 
Plattsburgh State took control in the second following a 5-0 surge, and a Rachwal service ace pinned the Cardinals to a 9-4 edge. The Bears cut the gap to 10-7, but two Potsdam miscues and a block assist by Ashong and first-year right side Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) put Plattsburgh State up by six at 13-7. The Cardinals were never seriously threatened the rest of the way in the second set, claiming the frame, 25-16.
 
The Bears captured the first four points of the third set, but the Cardinals went on a 9-1 tear to build a 9-5 cushion. During that scoring spree, Collyear and Girma each recorded two kills. Plattsburgh State continued to stave off any sustained Potsdam momentum and went on to win the third, 25-18.
 
A 9-5 Potsdam lead in the fourth quickly evaporated, as kills by Girma and sophomore setter/right side Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep), a service ace by senior defensive specialist Shannon Fitzpatrick (Westtown, N.Y./Rhinebeck) and a block assist by Girma and Salphine knotted the score at 9-all. The two teams traded points until the Cardinals took over for good following a 4-0 surge that gave them a 21-18 edge. While the Bears trimmed the deficit to 22-21, two Potsdam errors and a Mulvey kill ultimately handed Plattsburgh State a match-clinching 25-21 victory in the fourth.