ONEONTA, NY – Hartwick volleyball hosted its final two Empire 8 Conference matches of the season on Saturday with a win against either Stevens or St. John Fisher putting them through to the league playoffs. The Hawks, however, would fall in three sets to the Ducks, 25-11, 25-16, 25-17 and to the Cardinals, 26-24, 25-18, 25-13.
 
Stevens, which improved to 22-6 overall and 8-0 in league play, clinched the top seed in the upcoming playoffs. St. John Fisher secured the three seed. They are now 21-7 and 6-2.
 
In the Hawks' first match against Stevens, Kaitlyn Ludder (West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park) and Rosa Maun (Redstone, CO/Roaring Fork) each had six kills for Hartwick with Paige Bailey (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) contributing five.
 
Erin Russell (Wantagh, NY/Seaford) added a double-double of 16 assists and 12 digs. Ashley Werner (Saugerties, NY/Saugerties) had nine digs with Ludder chipping in six.
 Against the Cardinals, Maun had 10 kills. Maria Sorriento (Troy, NY/Troy) added six kills. Jamie Reidy (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) collected 13 digs. Russell had eight digs and Katie Boak (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) recorded seven. Russell would also dish out 16 assists.
           
The Hawks are now 10-15 overall this season. They finish 4-4 in a tie for fourth place in the Empire 8 with Alfred. The Saxons own the tie-breaker for the final playoff berth with a 3-2 win over the Hawks on October 7. The four E8 wins for the Hawks this season is also a program record.

Hartwick wraps up its season next weekend at the Oneonta Invitational. The Hawks open with Bard and Baruch on Friday, October 27.