ALFRED, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team returned to the postseason for the first time since 2023, looking for its first postseason win since 2013 as it took the court against Alfred State in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament. After falling to the Pioneers without taking a set in their first meeting this season, the Cardinals came out strong, winning the first two sets before defeating Alfred State 3-1 (25-21, 27-25, 22-25, 25-18) on Tuesday evening to claim their first postseason victory since 2013.
Plattsburgh had two players reach double-digit kills, led by senior opposite hitter
Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) with 11 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. Senior outside hitter
Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas/Bishop Lynch) followed with 10 kills and four service aces, helping the Cardinals hold an 11-3 advantage in the category. First-year
Brooke Anderson (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) added seven kills. Senior
KC Burke (Murrieta, Calif./Northfield Mount Hermon [Mass.]) led the back row with 17 digs as Plattsburgh matched the Pioneers with 60. At the net, Collyear paced the Cardinals with a game-high five blocks, while first-year middle blocker
Augustina White (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) added four. Plattsburgh dominated the category with an 11-3 advantage. Sophomore
Emily O'Brien (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) set up the attack with 27 assists and contributed three blocks.
For the Pioneers, Gloria Stem led all players with 20 kills, while Isabel Carew paced the offense with a game-high 38 assists. Ava Wickes anchored the defense with a game-high 18 digs.
Plattsburgh wasted little time in the opening set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead after a 5-0 run capped by a Girma kill. The Cardinals continued to build their advantage when an Anderson kill sparked a quick 3-0 burst, pushing the lead to 17-12. Alfred State made a late push to pull within two at 20-18, but a Collyear kill helped the Cardinals close out the set, 25-21.
The second set featured a much closer battle, with both teams trading points early. Back-to-back kills from Anderson and another from
Elena Stavroulakis (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) gave Plattsburgh a 7-6 lead. The teams continued to exchange the advantage before reaching a 25-25 deadlock. Girma broke the tie with a kill before delivering a service ace to seal the 27-25 set victory.
Alfred State controlled the third set, building a 10-5 lead, but Plattsburgh refused to back down. A Collyear kill brought the Cardinals within two at 12-10. The Pioneers responded with a strong push of their own, extending their advantage to 21-12 before closing out the set, 25-22.
The fourth set belonged to Plattsburgh, as the Cardinals used a 6-0 run featuring kills from Collyear and Anderson to take an early 7-2 lead. Alfred State battled back to claim a 10-7 advantage, but the Cardinals answered with a 5-0 surge capped by a Girma service ace to regain the lead at 12-10. Plattsburgh then took control with a 10-0 run, fueled by three points from O'Brien, to stretch the advantage to 23-14. Collyear delivered the match-winning kill as the Cardinals claimed the set, 25-18, and secured the 3-1 victory.
With the win, Plattsburgh earned its first postseason victory since 2013 and improved to 14-14 overall. The Cardinals advance to the second round of the SUNYAC Tournament, where they will travel to Morrisville on Thursday, Nov. 12, for a 6 p.m. matchup.
