SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cortland finished with a 3-0 record at the Skidmore College Women's Volleyball Classic after earning straight-set wins Saturday versus Brandeis, 29-27, 25-19, 25-9, and Skidmore, 25-13, 25-23, 25-20.
Cortland (4-2) and Connecticut College each finished 3-0 over the weekend. Brandeis went 2-1, Nazareth, Williams, Oneonta and Skidmore were each 1-2, and Plattsburgh was 0-3.
In the win over Brandeis, all-tournament team selection
Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) led the Red Dragons with 28 assists and added six digs.
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck) had a team-high nine kills with one error in 25 attempts (.320) along with six blocks, three solo.
Emma Reilly (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) registered eight kills with one error in 15 attempts (.467) and had four blocks.
Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) chipped in with seven kills, two aces and three blocks, while
Jennifer Koestner (Syosset) and
Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) each finished with six kills. Pirrera ended with a .400 attack percentage (no errors in 15 attempts) and Koestner totaled 15 digs.
Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) led the Red Dragons with 19 digs.
Lara Verstovsek led Brandeis (5-2 following Saturday's action) with nine kills and added 12 digs.
The first set was tied on 12 occasions. Cortland failed to capitalize on set points at 24-23 and 25-24 and Brandeis wasn't able to put the set away after leading 26-25 and 27-26. Guedez's kill tied the set at 27-27, and the Red Dragons won after a Pilkey ace and a Koestner kill. The second set was tied at 11-11 before Cortland fashioned an 8-2 run to take control, and the Red Dragons raced out to a 12-4 lead in the third set and were never threatened.
In the win over Skidmore,
Emalee Ballou (Eden) led Cortland with career highs of 15 kills and six blocks. She finished with a .355 attack percentage. Hinshaw handed out 31 assists and tacked on three kills, 11 digs and three blocks. Reilly rang up eight kills, a .400 attack percentage and a career-high nine blocks, Koestner had seven kills and seven digs, and Pirrera finished with six kills. Martens totaled a match-high 14 digs along with two aces and
Erica Arroyo (Nesconset/Smithtown West) had four kills with no errors and a .364 attack percentage.
Madison Manning paced Skidmore (1-6) with eight kills and Catriona Hoelperl finished with 22 assists.
Cortland used an 8-0 run in the first set to take an 18-7 lead. In the second set, Skidmore led 23-22 before Cortland scored the last three points on an
Anna Lynch (Rochester/Our Lady of Mercy) kill, a Lynch block and a Koestner ace. The third set featured 11 ties and six lead changes. It was tied at 18-18 before the Red Dragons scored four straight points, including two kills by Koestner and one by Reilly, and the lead was at three after that.
