PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – First-year head coach Eimile O'Brien earns her first career win, as the Cardinals rout Norwich 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) in a non-conference match. Sophomore right-side hitter Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas / Rockwall) led a balanced Cardinal attack with 12 kills. 

Right behind Collyear was sophomore outside hitter Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas / Bishop Lynch) with 11. The Cardinals' defense was strong as junior defensive specialists Bridget Ryan (Mattituck, N.Y. / Mattituck), Lexi Carfi (Syracuse, N.Y. / Liverpool), and first-year setter Anabella Almeida (Pine Bush, N.Y. / Pine Bush) all had eight digs. Almedia also led all players in assists with a career-high 17 while junior setter Kyleigh Ganz (Phoenix, Ariz.) had 12. Sophomore outside hitter Iris Mulvey (Middle Island, N.Y. / Longwood) led all players with a career-high six aces while sophomore middle blocker Katie Salphine (Le Roy, N.Y. / Le Roy) led all players with three blocks.

For Norwich, Bella Belldina Ray led the team in kills with eight while Autumn Parkhurst had seven assists. Cameryn Jenkins led all players in digs with nine.

The Cardinals hit .175 as a team and limited the Cadets to .053. The Cardinals held the upper hand in service aces 11-3, blocks 3-2, and had the edge in digs 54-38.

Plattsburgh rises to 1-8 overall and next travels to Clarkson on Friday, Sept. 20 for a match at 5 p.m. Norwich falls to 1-8 and next hosts the University of Saint Joseph on Friday, Sept. 20.

The Cardinals got ahead early with a 6-0 run capped off by a kill from Mulvey. A service error gave the Cadets their first points of the match and made the score 6-1. The Cardinal offense didn't let up as another run led by two kills from Girma pushed their lead to 15-6. The Cadets gained some momentum with a 4-0 run and made the score 17-11 Cardinals, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals responded with a 4-0 run that made the score 22-13 Cardinals. After two attacking errors ended the run, a kill from Collyear and two service aces from Mulvey solidified the 25-15 win.

After not leading at all in the first set, the Cadets got on the board first with a kill from Belldina Ray. That lead didn't last long as the Cardinals responded with three straight and made the score 3-1 Cardinals. Another 3-0 run for the Cardinals pushed their lead to 8-4. The Cadets battled back and came within one after a service ace from Charlotte Johnson made the sore 9-8. The Cadets wouldn't go away and tied the game at 12 off an attacking error from the Cardinals. After trading points back and forth multiple times, the Cardinals went on a 5-0 run and made the score 23-18 before ultimately winning 25-19.

Back-to-back kills from the Cadets gave them an early 3-2 lead to start the third set. The Cardinals took the lead back for good after a 10-run led by four service aces from Mulvey made the score 13-4. The Cadets responded with four straight and made the score 13-8 Cardinals. Both teams traded 3-0 runs multiple times and brought the score to 19-14 Cardinals. The Cadets threatened after a 4-0 run made the score 21-18 but the Cardinals responded with three straight and made the score 24-18 before a kill from Girma secured a 25-20 win and sealed the match for the Cardinals 3-0.