PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Coming off a win against Fisher last night, the Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team looked to finish its home tournament undefeated and did just that. The Cardinals opened play against Vermont State University (VTSU) Johnson, earning a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-19) sweep before following with another 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-16) victory over Paul Smith's to close out Saturday evening in Memorial Hall.
Game 1: Plattsburgh State 3, VTSU-Johnson 0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-19)
In Plattsburgh's first game of the day, the Cardinals came out strong in the opening set. Despite a more competitive second frame, Plattsburgh stayed composed and went on to earn the sweep over the Badgers.
Senior outside hitter
Liya Girma (Sachse, Texas/Bishop Lynch) led the Cardinal offense with 14 kills while adding eight digs and three service aces. Sophomore
Emily O'Brien (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) helped set up the attack with a game-high 32 assists and fell one dig shy of a double-double with nine digs. Defensively, senior libero
KC Burke (Murrieta, Calif./Northfield Mount Hermon) led the way with 19 digs, while senior opposite
Darby Collyear (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall) added 13. At the net, Girma and first-year
Brooke Anderson (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) each recorded two blocks.
For the Badgers, Nikki Alvarez led the team with a game-high 23 digs, while Sasha Khomutetsky set up the offense with 12 assists. Tatum Kalahiki paced the attack with eight kills.
Plattsburgh controlled the service game, holding an 11-6 advantage in aces. The Cardinals also edged VTSU-Johnson 3-2 in blocks, while the Badgers held a 70-60 advantage in digs.
The Cardinals started slowly in the opening set, holding a 7-4 lead following a Girma kill. Two separate 5-0 surges, featuring points from Girma and Collyear, helped Plattsburgh extend its advantage to 17-7. The Badgers responded with a scoring stretch of their own to cut the deficit to 20-14, but five straight points, capped by a Girma kill, gave the Cardinals a 25-14 set win.
VTSU-Johnson took control early in the second set, building a 12-5 lead following a scoring run. Trailing midway through the frame, Plattsburgh received a boost from first-year
Augustina White (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy), who put down two kills during a 7-0 rally to tie the score at 18-18. After some back-and-forth play, a Girma kill set up by O'Brien put Plattsburgh ahead 23-20. O'Brien then closed out the set with a kill of her own, securing a 25-22 win.
Plattsburgh controlled the third set from the start, opening a 13-6 lead after White and Collyear recorded back-to-back kills. The Cardinals extended their advantage to 18-9 before taking a 24-13 lead on an Anderson kill. VTSU-Johnson battled late to pull within five, but Plattsburgh finished the set 25-19 to secure the 3-0 match victory.
Game 2: Plattsburgh State 3, Paul Smith's 0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-16)
Back in action for their second game of the day, the Cardinals closed their home tournament with another sweep over the Bobcats. Plattsburgh won a competitive opening set before taking control in the final two frames.
Girma led the Cardinals with 10 kills and added a team-high seven digs. Senior outside hitter
Iris Mulvey (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) contributed eight kills. O'Brien continued her strong day with 23 assists and four digs, while sophomore libero
Elena Stavroulakis (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) added a team-high five service aces and six digs. At the net, White posted a career-high four blocks and added six kills.
For the Bobcats, Payton Barry set up the offense with 15 assists, while Kennedy Marchbanks led the team with 12 kills and nine digs.
Plattsburgh dominated the service game with a 16-1 advantage in aces and held a 4-0 edge in blocks. Paul Smith's finished with a 29-27 advantage in digs.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early 9-3 lead after an Anderson kill before Paul Smith's responded to cut the deficit to 9-5. Plattsburgh answered with four straight points and continued to build its advantage behind kills from Anderson and Mulvey, taking a 13-5 lead. The Cardinals maintained control down the stretch and reached set point at 24-16 before a kill from
Jahnia Venson (Troy, N.Y./Lansingburgh) closed out the set, 25-17.
Plattsburgh opened the second set with six consecutive points and then used another scoring stretch, featuring kills from Collyear and Anderson, to take a 12-2 lead. Later in the set, a 5-0 burst that included three straight service aces from
Cathryn Todd (Potsdam, N.Y./Potsdam) pushed the Cardinals' lead to 17-3. Paul Smith's trimmed the deficit late, but Plattsburgh closed out the set, 25-10, on a Stavroulakis service ace.
Paul Smith's took an early 7-6 lead in the third set before Plattsburgh responded with a 5-0 run highlighted by two service aces from
Anabella Almeida (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) to ahead 11-7. The Cardinals continued to control the frame, extending their lead to 16-9 before the Bobcats pulled within two at 16-14. Plattsburgh answered with another strong push, scoring six straight points to move ahead 22-14. Back-to-back service aces from
Jen Longway (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) then closed out the set, 25-16, securing the 3-0 victory.
With the two wins, Plattsburgh State improves to 8-7 overall and returns to action Friday, Oct. 2, traveling to Bard for a 6 p.m. match.
