SUNY Geneseo

GENESEO, N.Y. - The SUNY Geneseo women's volleyball team will enter the Empire 8 Tournament as the No. 2 seed after closing the regular season with a four-set loss at Alfred on Saturday. The Knights finished 14-9 overall and 8-3 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Geneseo opened the first set with kills from Sophie Hunter and Kate Barba for a 2-0 lead, and after trailing 7-5, the Knights scored four straight points to lead 9-7 with Ayla Pas'cal at the service line. Alfred answered with five straight points, including three service aces, to lead 14-10. Geneseo cut the deficit to 18-17 behind a Pas'cal block and a Barba ace, but Alfred scored four straight and closed the set 25-19.
• Alfred opened the second set with a 5-2 lead, but Geneseo took control with a 7-0 run, from 6-4 to 11-6, with Daphne Paul-LaRonca serving every point. The run started with an Alfred attack error, followed by back-to-back kills from Barba off Molly McKinney sets, a Pas'cal kill, another Alfred error and a Paul-LaRonca ace. A block by McKinney and Pas'cal made it 11-6. Geneseo built the lead to 16-11 on kills from Hunter and Alicia Acevedo, both set by Jessica Macken, and later led 23-16 after a Pas'cal kill and a Barba ace. Alfred scored five straight points to cut the lead to 23-21, and Hunter put down a kill off a McKinney set for a 24-21 lead. Alfred got within 24-23, but a block by McKinney closed the set 25-23.
• Alfred jumped ahead 4-1 early in the third set, and Geneseo got within 7-5 on kills from Barba and McKenna Callari. Alfred pulled ahead 16-8 and later scored eight straight points, from 16-11 to 24-11. Geneseo scored four of the final five points, including a kill from Sydney Leigh-Manuell off a Zooey Gagnier set, before Alfred closed the set 25-15.
• The fourth set was tied at 5-5 on a Pas'cal kill, but Alfred scored four of the next six to lead 14-7. Geneseo came back with a run of four straight points, from 18-12 to 18-15, with Kate Barba serving two aces. Hunter put down two more kills to keep it at 20-18, but Alfred closed the match 25-20.

QUICK FACTS:

• Kate Barba led the Knights with 13 kills and four service aces.
• Sophie Hunter added 12 kills and hit .333, and Dyllan Thomas had eight kills and hit .571.
• Ayla Pas'cal led the team with three blocks.
• Jessica Macken dished out 19 assists, and Molly McKinney added 10.
• McKenna Callari led the defense with 11 digs, and Zooey Gagnier had nine.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Knights begin Empire 8 Tournament play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, November 7th at noon in Schrader Gym.