GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo women's volleyball team topped Nazareth 3-1 at Carl Schrader Gymnasium on Saturday, improving to 11-7 overall and 5-1 in Empire 8 play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Geneseo took control of the first set from the start. Kate Barba served the first three points, including an ace, and Sophie Hunter added a kill for a 3-0 lead. After Nazareth got on the board, Geneseo scored six straight points to lead 9-1. A Hunter kill and a kill from Ayla Pas'cal started the run, a block from Pas'cal and Hunter pushed it to 6-1, and Zooey Gagnier served back-to-back aces before Hunter put down another kill. Nazareth cut the deficit to 15-12 midway through, but Geneseo scored the last four points of the set, with kills from Pas'cal, Peyton Cole and Barba, to close it 25-16.
- Nazareth opened the second set with two service aces for a 2-0 lead, but Barba answered with an ace of her own to tie it 2-2. The set stayed close, with Nazareth leading 15-13 before a Cole block with Pas'cal and a Cole kill put Geneseo back in front 16-15. Nazareth took a 21-20 lead late, but Barba's kill tied it and sparked a 5-0 finish. Barba served the final four points, which included an Elder kill and a Hunter kill, to win the set 25-21.
- Geneseo led by as many as six in the third set, building a 7-5 lead on a four-point run with Ellie McLennan at the service line that included two aces and two Barba kills, then going up 11-7 on back-to-back Pas'cal aces. Nazareth answered with an 8-0 run, from 19-14 to 21-19, with three service aces, and held on for a 25-23 win despite a late kill from Dyllan Thomas that tied it at 23-23.
- Pas'cal put down two straight kills early in the fourth set to give Geneseo a 4-1 lead, and McLennan's ace and a Macken ace made it 10-6. Nazareth stormed back to take an 11-10 lead and led 15-13 later in the set. Geneseo took control for good with a 4-0 run, from 17-15 to 19-17, with Pas'cal serving. The run included a Hunter kill, a Nazareth error, a Pas'cal kill and a block by Thomas and Hunter. Hunter added two more kills down the stretch as Geneseo closed it out 25-19.
QUICK FACTS:
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights stay at Schrader Gym on Friday, October 23rd at 6 p.m. to host Utica University.
