GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo women's volleyball team opened Empire 8 play with a five-set win on Friday, outlasting Sage 3-2 on the road for the program's first conference win of the season, improving to 8-6 overall (1-0 Empire 8).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Geneseo and Sage traded points early, with the set tied at 2-2 and again at 4-4, before the Knights found their footing midway through. Tied at 9-9, Geneseo reeled off nine of the next eleven points to take control, going up 18-11. The stretch featured back-to-back kills from Cory Elder, a service ace from Kate Barba, and a kill from Sophie Hunter, mixed in with several Sage attack errors. Geneseo closed it out from there, with McKenna Callari serving an ace at 23-14 before Barba's kill off a Jessica Macken set sealed the 25-16 win.
- The second set was tight early, with Sage building a 1-4 lead behind a Nay service ace, but Geneseo answered point for point to tie it at 7-7. From there, Zooey Gagnier's serve sparked a six-point run that put the set away: a kill from Dyllan Thomas, a Gagnier ace, back-to-back kills from Barba and Elder, and a pair of Sage attack errors pushed the lead to 13-7. Geneseo kept its foot down the rest of the way, closing out the set 25-15 on a kill from Barba off a Macken assist.
- The Gators found its footing in the third, building a cushion behind its middle attack and closing out the set 25-19.
- Sage kept the pressure on in the fourth, controlling the set throughout for a 25-21 win to force a decisive fifth.
- The Gators jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a kill and a service ace, but Geneseo answered right away — McKenna Callari and Kate Barba each picked up kills to even the set at 3-3. From there, Geneseo took over and controlled the rest of the way, closing out the match 15-10 to clinch the win.
QUICK FACTS:
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights continue Empire 8 play on Saturday, October 3rd at 1 p.m. in Oneonta, N.Y.
