ALFRED, N.Y. – Women's volleyball fell to Alfred University in four sets Saturday afternoon at Terry S. Galanis Family Arena with final scores of 9-25, 25-23, 19-25, 23-25).
Isabella Gracias (Oneonta, N.Y.) led the Hawks offensively with 10 kills, while
Makella O'Neill (Webster, N.Y.) followed with eight kills and three service aces.
Lucille Walker (Ithaca, N.Y.) added seven kills with a .300 hitting percentage and three service aces, while
Samantha Garback (Tully, N.Y.) contributed six kills.
Thylia Keoviengsamay (Rome, N.Y.) directed the offense with 25 assists.
Defensively, O'Neill led the Hawks with 12 digs, followed by Keoviengsamay with 11, and
Malia Dake (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) with 10. Gracias recorded five block assists, while Garback contributed four block assists. Walker added one solo block and two block assists as Hartwick finished with seven total team blocks.
The Hawks opened the match with a kill from Gracias before the two sides traded points early in the first set. With Hartwick leading 3-2, Alfred rattled off six consecutive points to take an 8-3 advantage. Walker responded with back-to-back service aces to bring the Hawks within two at 8-6, but the Saxons regained control with a four-point run. Alfred continued to extend their lead, eventually pulling ahead 17-7 before closing out the opening set 25-9.
Hartwick looked to bounce back in the second set after falling behind 3-0 early. The Hawks chipped away at the deficit, with a kill from Garback evening the score at 7-7 before Hartwick took its first lead at 8-7. The two teams continued to exchange points until the Hawks found their rhythm behind the serving of O'Neill. With the score tied at 10-10, Hartwick put together a four-point run highlighted by two service aces from O'Neill and kills from Gracias to take a 14-10 advantage. The Hawks continued to build momentum, using kills from Walker and O'Neill along with a service ace from
Maya Lesinski (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) to extend their lead to 18-14. Alfred battled back to cut the deficit to one at 18-17, but Hartwick responded with four consecutive points to pull ahead 22-17. The Saxons made a late push, bringing the score to 24-23, but Gracias delivered the set-winning kill to secure the 25-23 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
The Hawks carried their momentum into the third set, opening with back-to-back service aces from Dake to take an early 3-0 lead. Hartwick maintained its advantage at 6-2 before Alfred responded with five consecutive points to take a 7-6 lead. The teams continued to battle, with kills from Lesinski and Garback helping the Hawks regain an 11-10 advantage. The Saxons answered with a four-point run to take a 14-11 lead before extending their advantage to 19-13. Hartwick refused to go quietly, using kills from Lesinski and Walker to cut the deficit to 19-16. The Hawks continued to fight, pulling within one at 20-19, but Alfred closed out the set with five unanswered points to claim a 25-19 victory.
Alfred jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set before Hartwick began to chip away at the deficit. Back-to-back kills from Gracias brought the Hawks within one at 7-6, but the Saxons responded to extend their advantage to 10-6. Hartwick continued to battle, but Alfred maintained control and eventually built a 23-11 lead. With the match on the line, the Hawks mounted an impressive comeback behind the serving of O'Neill. A block from Garback and Gracias sparked a 12-point scoring run, highlighted by kills from Gracias, Garback,
Nicole Decker (Coeymans Hollow, N.Y.), and O'Neill, along with a service ace from O'Neill. The Hawks fought off 11 consecutive match points to bring the score to 24-23, but Alfred secured the final point to take the fourth set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
