GENEVA, N.Y. – The Cortland women's volleyball team opened the William Smith Heron Invitational with a five-set victory over the host school. The Red Dragons (8-2) rallied to win the last two sets and finished with a 21-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-16, 15-9 win.
Cortland is 4-0 in five-set matches this fall, and each of those wins has occurred on successive Friday nights (Sept. 1 vs. Rochester, Sept. 8 vs. Springfield and Sept 15 at Scranton, in addition to this victory). Cortland continues play at the Heron Invitational Saturday with matches against Stevens Institute at 11 a.m. and St. John Fisher at 4 p.m.
Allie Sturgess (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) led Cortland with 12 kills.
Giovanna Rossi (Nichols/Tioga Central) and
Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) finished with 11 kills apiece and
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck) ended with 10 kills. Guedez committed only one error in 16 attempts to finish with a .562 attack percentage, and she led the Red Dragons with three blocks.
Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) chipped in with eight kills.
Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) led the team with 22 digs and four aces. Pilkey had 20 digs and two aces,
Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) totaled 27 assists and two aces, and
Meadow Wittman (Colden/Springville Griffith Institute) finished with 14 assists and four aces.
Malya Sayre led William Smith (6-4) with 21 kills and four aces. Marin Montagne and Jaylynn McCarthy had eight kills apiece. Elaine Wamhoff handed out 39 assists and Maysie Malinaric totaled 18 digs.
William Smith scored five straight points in the first set to take a 19-13 lead and kept control from there. Cortland led 19-18 in the second set before rattling off five straight points, capped by two aces from Martens, during a crucial stretch. The third set was tied eight times, the last at 16-16, and Cortland was within 21-20 before the hosts scored the last four points to take a 2-1 set lead.
Cortland jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth and never trailed. In the fifth, William Smith took an early 2-0 lead, and the teams were tied at 5-5 before the Red Dragons scored five straight points. Sturgess' ace capped that run, and William Smith got no closer than three the rest of the way. Leading 12-9, Cortland finished the match with a Pilkey kill, a Guedez kill and a Hinshaw ace.
