Box Score

TROY, NY – Hartwick battled back from a two-set deficit but host Sage (8-4) fought off the Hawks in the fourth set to claim a 3-1 (19-25, 13-25, 25-20, 20-25) win on Wednesday night.
           
The Gators jumped out to a seven-point lead early in the first set 11-4 but the Hawks responded by taking nine of the next 11 points to pull even 13-13. Sage would rally for seven straight points to gain the upper hand and the Gators closed it out 25-19.
           
The second set was tight in the early going with neither team building more than a two-point edge through the first 20 points. Holding a 13-10 lead, the Gators then exploded for 10 of the set's final 12 points to gain a two-set advantage.
           
The third set was closely contested with the lead changing hands on several occasions. Deep into the set, the score was tied at 20 before the Hawks rattled off three straight points for a 23-20 edge. A kill from senior Dana Martin (Chester, NY/Burke Catholic) put Hartwick one point away from the set and freshman Kayla Baril (Seekonk, MA/Seekonk) finished it off with a service ace and the Hawks cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
           
After a quick 1-0 'Wick lead in the fourth, the Gators never trailed again as they built a seven-point lead (10-3) and later a 10-point edge (16-6). The Hawks chipped away at the Sage lead and a Taylor Vonasek (Willington, CT/E.O. Smith) kill made it 21-17, but Sage would grab the next three points to go up 24-17. Three straight 'Wick points, including a Vonasek kill and a Quincy Kinzel (Scotia, NY/Guilderland) and Vonasek block, cut it to four again, 24-20, but a service error on the last point would be enough for the Gators to claim the victory.
           
Kinzel finished the night with 33 assists for the Hawks. She added eight digs. Freshman Rosa Maun (Redstone, CO/Roaring Fork) led Hartwick with nine kills. Martin added eight kills and nine digs and junior Mary Beth DeCuyke (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) also had eight kills. Sophomore Alyssa Zeitler (Chardon, OH/Berkshire) had a team-best 17 digs for the Hawks.
           
Sage was led by Rachel Martin's 12 kills. Helen Putriment added 11. Siena Wilder registered a match-high 25 digs and Rachel Liebig dished out 30 assists.
           
Hartwick (4-8) hosts an Empire 8 Crossover on Saturday at Lambros Arena. The Hawks host Ithaca and St. John Fisher.