POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Cortland women's volleyball team won two matches on two different campuses, opening with a sweep of SUNY Potsdam in a SUNYAC match followed by a sweep of Clarkson in a non-league contest. Cortland improved to 16-5 overall and 4-0 in the SUNYAC with the wins.
The Red Dragons began the day with a 25-9, 25-8, 25-18 win at Potsdam.
Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) led the team with 11 kills and no errors in 15 attempts for a .733 attack percentage.
Kyrah Wilbur (Syracuse/Baldwinsville) ended with eight kills and no errors in 15 attempts for a .533 percentage, and
Erica Arroyo (Nesconset/Smithtown West) and
Lauren Millspaugh (Trumansburg/Charles O. Dickerson) were also error-free, each finishing with six kills in nine attempts for a .667 percentage.
Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) led the Red Dragons with five aces and
Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) totaled 31 assists.
Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) paced Cortland with nine digs and Pirrera had three blocks.
Alyssa Adams and Megan Henry led Potsdam (8-6, 1-3 SUNYAC) with seven and six kills, respectively.
Cortland never trailed in the first two sets. The third set featured 10 tied, the last at 16-16, before Cortland went on a 7-1 run.
Cortland then made the less than 2-mile trip to Clarkson and battled to a 25-23, 25-21, 25-17 win over the Golden Knights. Pilkey and
Jennifer Koestner (Syosset) finished with 10 kills apiece, Pirrera had nine kills and Wilbur and
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck) each posted seven kills to lead the Red Dragons. Martens finished with a career-high tying 31 digs, Pirrera and Guedez each had three blocks, Hinshaw dished out 22 assists, followed by
Samantha Rodriguez (Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) with 14 assists, and Wilbur finished with nine digs.
Clarkson (7-12) was led by Marin Hangliter with 15 kills, Ashley Currier with 26 assists and Tess Sorel with six blocks.
The opening set was tied 16 times and featured 10 lead changes. Clarkson scored on a pair of Hangliter kills to take a 23-21 lead, but Cortland scored the final four points on a Guedez kill, a Pilkey ace, another Guedez kill and a Clarkson attack error. The Golden Knights were within 18-17 in the second before the Red Dragons scored six of the next seven points to go up 24-19. Clarkson scored two straight before Koestner's kill ended the set. Cortland never trailed in the third set.
