CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland women's volleyball team opened its season thrilling five-set victory over the University of Rochester, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 11-25, 15-8, during the first day of the Cortland Red Dragon Classic.
Cortland continues play in the tournament Saturday versus Rowan at 11 a.m. and Hartwick at 4 p.m. Cortland defeated Rowan in the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Division III tournament.
Allie Sturgess (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) led Cortland with 16 kills and added 13 digs and two aces.
Lexy Bloss (York, PA/Dallastown Area) and
Giovanna Rossi (Nichols/Tioga) each totaled eight kills, with Bloss committing only one error in 13 attempts.
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck) ended with seven kills and one error in 19 attempts, led the team with four blocks and added 11 digs.
Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) had seven kills, 13 digs, three blocks and two aces.
Meadow Wittman (Colden/Springville Griffith Institute) handed out 22 assists and served two aces,
Samantha Rodriguez (Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) finished with 17 assists, and
Madelyn McCormack (Remsen) led the team with 25 digs.
Ashley Siergiej (Staten Island/Susan E. Wagner) finished with three blocks.
Sonia McGaffigan led Rochester (0-1) with 23 kills and Ashley Cook totaled 13 kills and 14 digs. Katie Westerheim registered 37 assists and Lydia Weeks had a team-best 18 digs.
The first set was tied at 21-21 before Cortland scored four of the final six points, led by two kills from Bloss. The Red Dragons led 19-15 in the second set, but the Yellowjackets finished on a 10-1 run highlighted by five McGaffigan kills.
Cortland led 24-15 in the third set before holding off a brief Rochester rally. The fourth set was all Yellowjackets as the guests opened with a 13-1 lead and were never threatened. In the fifth set, the teams were tied at 6-6 before Cortland scored four straight points on a
Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) kill and three Rochester misplays. Following a Rochester point, Cortland scored another four in a row - two on Sturgess kills, one on a kill from Rossi and one on a Wittman ace - to take a 14-7 lead. A Rochester error two points later gave Cortland the win.
