SAINT DAVIDS, PA. – The Cortland women's volleyball team closed the regular season with a split of two matches hosted by Eastern University. The Red Dragons lost in four sets to the host Eagles before bouncing back to sweep Cabrini University.
 
Cortland (19-5) returns to action next weekend as the top seed in the six-team SUNYAC tournament. The Red Dragons will face either fourth-seeded Geneseo or fifth-seeded Oswego in the semifinals Friday at 4 p.m. at Cortland, with second-seeded Brockport playing either third-seeded New Paltz or sixth-seeded Buffalo State at 7 p.m., also at Cortland. The finals will be Saturday at 4 p.m. at Corey Gymnasium.
 
Eastern defeated Cortland in a tightly contested match, 25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21. Zoe Staats (Buchanan/Hendrick Hudson) led Cortland with nine kills, followed by Allie Sturgess (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) and Caterina Mangogna (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) with seven kills apiece. Meadow Wittman (Colden/Springville Griffith Institute) and Megan McMahon (Ballston Spa) had 18 and 17 assists, respectively. Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) totaled 21 digs, Carly Haegele (Commack) had 13 digs and Sturgess finished with 11 digs. Reilly led the Red Dragons with five blocks and Mangogna added four blocks.
 
Peyton Wheeler led a balanced attack for Eastern (19-5) with eight kills, with five other players ended with six or seven kills. Elle Jiron-Bujanda finished with 32 assists.
 
Eastern never trailed in the first two sets, although Cortland was within two at 22-20 in the first set and 21-19 in the second set. Cortland, conversely, opened a 4-0 lead in the third set and never trailed. The fourth set featured nine ties, the last at 21-21, before the hosts scored the final four points, the last three on aces by Jiron-Bujanda.
 
Cortland's 25-19, 25-17, 25-20 win over Cabrini (18-10) was led by Sturgess with 13 kills. Emma Reilly (Massapequa Park) and Staats each ended the match with eight kills and one error in 14 attempts. Danielle Fisk (Honeoye Falls/Honeoye Falls-Lima) finished with seven blocks and Reilly had six blocks, three solo. Giovanna Rossi (Nichols/Tioga) chipped in with four blocks and Staats had three as Cortland finished with 13 team blocks in the match.
 
Wittman dished out 16 assists, Haegele had 15 digs and Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) added 10 digs. Cortland finished with a .198 attack percentage while holding Cabrini to a .009 mark. Hannah Dalton led Cabrini with nine kills.