CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior
Ava Hintz (East Aurora) recorded 17 kills and just two errors in 22 attempts for a .682 attack percentage as Cortland swept visiting St. John Fisher in a non-conference women's volleyball match. The Red Dragons won by set scores of 25-23, 25-14 and 26-14.
Hintz also led Cortland (8-10) with three blocks. Sophomore
Kim Givelechian (Roslyn Heights/Herricks), freshman
Samantha Czeczotka (Elwood/John H. Glenn) and junior
Mary Kelly (Guilderland) added six kills apiece and freshman
Liz Roberts (Island Park/West Hempstead) distributed 29 assists.
Roberts and freshman
Melanie McGuirk (Lido Beach/Kellenberg Memorial) shared the team lead with 14 digs each. Kelly and Roberts posted two blocks apiece and senior
Aubrey Barrett (Liverpool) added four kills and nine digs.
Megan Miller and Paige Willson paced St. John Fisher (10-8) with nine kills each and Rachael Kline put down eight kills. Willson finished with a .529 attack percentage (nine kills, no errors in 17 attempts) and led the Cardinals with three blocks.
Erica Stickler and Ali Mann finished with 15 and 13 assists, respectively. Erin Crandall paced the squad with 11 digs.
The first set was tied 15 times, the last at 22-22. A Hintz kill and a Kelly play at the net extended the lead to 24-22. Fisher briefly staved off set point with a Miller kill, but a serving error ended the set.
Cortland grabbed a 6-1 lead in the second set, but Fisher stuck close for a while and trailed only 15-11 after a Miller kill. Cortland scored the next four points, with Roberts contributing a kill and a block to the run, and the Red Dragons led by at least seven points the remainder of the set.
Cortland led 14-9 in the third set, but Fisher went on a 9-4 run to tie the set at 18-18. Three more ties followed at 19, 20 and 21, then the Cardinals grabbed a 23-21 lead on kills by Willson and Jasmine Davis. After a service error, Fisher took a 24-22 lead with a Kline kill and had two set points. Cortland, however, scored the final four points of the night – two on Hintz kills, and match point on a kill by Czeczotka.
The Red Dragons will host SUNYAC play on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28. Cortland will play Oswego Friday at 5 p.m., and Potsdam and Oneonta at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively, Sunday. The SUNYAC has switched this season from divisions to a single, 10-team conference. Cortland will play each team in the league once – the three matches this week at home, three in Potsdam Oct. 11-12 and three at Buffalo State Oct. 25-26
