SCRANTON, PA. – Cortland came back from a two-set deficit and fought off three potential match points in the fifth set as the Red Dragons defeated the University of Scranton, 15-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-14, 17-15, to open play at Scranton's Electric City Invitational. 
 
Cortland (6-2) will face Haverford Saturday at noon at Scranton to wrap up its two-match tournament schedule. 
 
Allie Sturgess (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) finished with 14 kills and 16 digs and Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck) added 11 kills and five blocks, two solo, to pace Cortland. Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) had eight kills, five aces and 17 digs and Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) chipped in with seven kills. 
 
Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) led Cortland with 22 assists and also totaled 14 digs. Meadow Wittman (Colden/Springville Griffith Institute) amassed 16 assists and 12 digs and Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) ended with 29 digs and three aces. Ashley Siergiej (Staten Island/Susan E. Wagner) finished with four blocks. 
 
Scranton (2-5) was led by Deanna Whelpley's 16 kills and 18 digs, Erin Keaveney's 15 kills and three blocks and Stephanie Margolies's 13 kills and three blocks. Maddie Forry led the Royals with 33 digs, Cammi Quirk had 47 assists, Ashley Bolan served four aces and Erin Gretsky led the team with five blocks. 
 
Scranton scored 11 straight points in the first set to break a 10-10 tie and take control. Cortland had a potential set point leading 24-23 in the second before the hosts four of the final five points. 
 
The third set was tied at 20-20 before Cortland picked up three points on a block by Siergiej and Hinshaw, a kill by Sturgess and a kill by Siergiej. Scranton got back to within 23-22 before the Red Dragons closed out the set on a Sturgess kill and a Scranton error. Cortland dominated the fourth set, opening with a 12-3 lead. 
 
The heart-stopping fifth set featured 12 ties and three lead changes. Scranton broke a 12-12 tie with a Whelpley ace and a Margolies kill and had two potential match points. Cortland escaped that jam with an Emma Reilly (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) kill and a Martens ace to knot the score at 14-14. A Cortland error gave Scranton another match point, but the Red Dragons scored the final three points on a Scranton misplay, a kill by Pilkey and a Hinshaw ace.