CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland women's volleyball team finished 3-0 at its own season-opening Red Dragon Classic after victories Saturday versus Rowan, 25-20, 25-8, 25-14, and Hartwick, 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 25-12.
Cortland began the day with a sweep of Rowan in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division III tournament first-round contest, which the Red Dragons also won.
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck),
Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) and
Allie Sturgess (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) each finished with eight kills. Guedez ended with a .889 attack percent (no errors in nine attempts) and Pilkey had a .467 attack percentage with one error in 15 attempts.
Meadow Wittman (Colden/Springville Griffith Institute) totaled 20 assists and five aces and
Samantha Rodriguez (Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) had 13 assists, two aces and seven digs.
Madelyn McCormack (Remsen) led the team with 11 digs and
Lexy Bloss (York, PA/Dallastown Area) posted a team-high three blocks.
Jena Kaul led Rowan (1-1) with 10 kills and Brooke Adams dished out 20 assists.
Rowan was within 20-19 in the first set before Cortland used a
Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) kill and a Guedez ace to take a 22-19 lead. Following a Rowan point, the Red Dragons closed out the set on an
Emma Reilly (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) kill, a Wittman ace and a block by Reillly and
Giovanna Rossi (Nichols/Tioga). Cortland led 7-1 and was never seriously threatened in the second set, and the Red Dragons used an 8-1 run in the third to extend a 12-10 lead to 20-11.
In the win over Hartwick, Pilkey led the way with 14 kills and three blocks and Sturgess had 13 kills, four aces and nine digs. Guedez put down nine kills and added three blocks and Wittman finished with 19 assists and three aces. McCormack paced the team with 21 digs. Staecia Silofau led Hartwick (1-2) with 14 kills.
Cortland went on a 5-0 run in the first set to push a 19-16 lead to 24-16. The second set was tied at 19-19 before the visiting Hawks scored six of the final nine points. In the third set, Cortland was up 19-16 before two Sturgess kills, a block by Pilkey and Guedez, a Pilkey kill and two McCormack aces gave Cortland a 25-16 decision. The Red Dragons led 9-1 in the fourth set before Hartwick drew back within 13-10, but Cortland responded with a 9-0 streak, fueled by four Pirrera kills, to take control.
Cortland travels to Kean University in New Jersey next Friday and Saturday for three matches at the Kean Invitational.
