MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of contests in a tri-match hosted by SUNY Morrisville at the Student Activities Center on Saturday in its final tune-up before State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play, falling to Nazareth University, 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22), before dropping a 3-2 (24-26, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13) decision to host Morrisville.
 
Plattsburgh State falls to 7-4 overall with the losses and opens its SUNYAC schedule at SUNY Brockport on Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. Nazareth rises to 3-9 overall with the win, while Morrisville climbs to 4-10 overall with the victory.
 
Nazareth 3, Plattsburgh State 1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22)
 
Nazareth eked out a 3-1 win over Plattsburgh State in the Cardinals' first match of the day, as the Golden Flyers hit .139 for the match. Both teams recorded seven aces and five total blocks, while Plattsburgh State owned a 71-65 advantage in digs.
 
First-year right side Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) led the Cardinal offense with 12 kills, while senior setter Emma Rivers (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown West) and sophomore setter/right side Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz./Seton Catholic Prep) combined for 33 assists. Defensively, senior libero Payton Zophy (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) recorded 22 digs, while Collyear and sophomore middle hitter Jeannette Ashong (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) each registered three block assists.
 
For Nazareth, junior setter/right side Tessa Grover posted 16 kills, while junior middle hitter/right side Ruth Jackson landed 10 terminations. Grover completed the double-double with 19 assists, while junior setter Ella Kules distributed 18 assists. Sophomore libero Jenna Mattison reinforced the back row defensively with 23 digs.
 
The Golden Flyers used a 4-0 surge late in the first set to pull away, and Kules served up back-to-back aces to put Nazareth on top, 21-16. Zophy broke up the run with a kill, but Nazareth did not allow Plattsburgh State to score consecutive points the rest of the set, as the Golden Flyers claimed the first, 25-19.
 
With the score tied at 20-all in the second stanza, Plattsburgh State received a kill from first-year outside hitter Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas/Bishop Lynch) and Nazareth committed an attacking error to put the Cardinals up, 22-20. A service error brought the serve back to the Golden Flyers, but a Collyear kill and an Ashong service ace pinned Plattsburgh State to a 24-21 edge. Following a Nazareth kill, Rivers ended the set with a termination on a pass from Zophy to hand the Cardinals a 25-22 victory in the second.
 
Plattsburgh State went on a 5-0 run midway through the third set, and a kill by Collyear put the Cardinals up, 15-12. Nazareth scored six of the next eight points to take an 18-17 advantage, and after a Collyear kill broke up the Golden Flyer surge, Nazareth went on a 5-1 tear. A Golden Flyer service error, a Zophy kill and a Golden Flyer attacking error pulled the Cardinals within one at 23-22, but Nazareth won the next two rallies to pull out a 25-22 triumph in the third.
 
The Cardinals reversed an 8-4 deficit into a 10-8 lead in the fourth set, with first-year defensive specialist Katie Rachwal (Plymouth, Mich./Salem) capping off the run with a service ace. Plattsburgh State remained out in front before Nazareth scored four straight points to tie the score at 15-all, and while two Golden Flyer miscues handed the Cardinals a 17-15 cushion, Nazareth countered with four unanswered points to lead, 19-17. Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Lyon (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) landed a kill and Rachwal floored a service ace to knot the score at 19-all, but a 3-1 Nazareth spurt handed the Golden Flyers a lead they would not relinquish. Nazareth closed out the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth.
 
Morrisville 3, Plattsburgh State 2 (24-26, 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13)
 
Plattsburgh State fell in a hard-fought five-set match in the nightcap despite hitting .194 for the match on 51 kills and 20 attacking errors in 160 total attempts. The Cardinals owned an 8-5 edge in total blocks, while the Mustangs held an 18-7 advantage in service aces and a 66-65 margin in digs.
 
Three Cardinals reached double figures in kills, with Girma leading the way with 17. Lyon and Ashong notched 11 and 10 kills, respectively, with Lyon's serving as a career high. Ganz and Rivers combined for 37 assists, while Girma completed the double-double with 15 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Bridget Ryan (Mattituck, N.Y./Mattituck) defended 15 digs as well, while Ashong tallied four block assists.
 
For Morrisville, junior outside hitter Emily Huppee registered 21 kills, while senior setter/right side Hannah Taylor distributed 41 assists. Sophomore libero Kayla Sheasby led the back row defensively with 24 digs.
 
After Morrisville broke free in a back-and-forth first set with four straight points to seize a 22-20 lead, the Cardinals regained a one-point advantage, as a service error and kills by Girma and Ganz staked Plattsburgh State to a 23-22 edge. Morrisville tied the score at 23-all before Ganz brought up set point with a kill. The Mustangs staved off the first set point before the Cardinals won the next two rallies to claim the first, 26-24.
 
A 6-1 Mustang tear put Morrisville up, 21-16, in the second set, but after a Mustang service error and a Cardinal setting error, Plattsburgh State scored five straight points and knotted the score at 22-all. Morrisville closed the set by winning the final three rallies and took the second, 25-22.
 
While Morrisville jumped out to a 16-11 lead in the third, an 8-3 Plattsburgh State surge—which saw two kills from Girma and one kill apiece from Lyon, Collyear and Ashong—tied the score at 19-all. The Mustangs scored three straight points before a Girma kill and a block assist by Ashong and Collyear drew the Cardinals within one at 22-21. Morrisville went on to score the next three points and picked up a 25-21 victory in the third.
 
Plattsburgh State forced a fifth set with a 25-22 win in the fourth. The difference in the stanza wound up being a 6-1 run that included two kills from Lyon, and a Mustang attacking error put the Cardinals on top, 16-13. Girma chipped in with three kills in another 6-1 surge, and while Morrisville eventually cut the gap to two, Lyon pounded down a kill on the ensuing rally after a timeout to seal the set victory for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals started out hot out of the gates in the fifth set, with a Mustang setting error and a Girma service ace handing the visitors a 4-2 lead. Morrisville went on to score six straight points to enter the switch with an 8-4 advantage, and after Plattsburgh State got the serve back, the Mustangs rattled off four unanswered points to take a 12-5 advantage. The Cardinals then put together a valiant comeback attempt, with a 7-1 run drawing them within 13-12. Morrisville brought up match point after a service error, and while Girma's kill helped Plattsburgh State live to see another match point, Morrisville's sophomore outside hitter Keelin Baker landed a termination to give the Mustangs a 15-13 victory in the fifth.