By Kamiko Chamble
On Saturday the 18th the women’s volleyball team battled valiantly against New Paltz but
ultimately fell short in a 3-0 match.
The Plattsburgh State Cardinals held their own against pressure from the first serve to the
last point, despite the brick wall at the finish. The final scores—25–22, 25–13, and 25–12—don’t
adequately reflect the battle the Cardinals put up, particularly in the early going.
Liya Girma, a first-year outside hitter for Plattsburgh, jumped off the block for the
opening kill of the game as the game began. Shortly after, she made another powerful swing,
putting Plattsburgh ahead 3-1. With deft hands, senior setter Emily O’Brien led the attack,
threading the ball to Girma and to sophomore middle blocker Sanaia Estime, who hammered a
kill down the line to make it 6-4. The connection was palpable to the audience at that point, and
the Cardinals seemed poised to attack.
Four straight errors by Plattsburgh, two service errors, one blocked tip and one errant
pass allowed New Paltz to flip the scoreboard to 8‐6. Undeterred, Plattsburgh responded junior
right‐side hitter Iris Mulvey ripped a kill, followed by a back‐row ace from sophomore libero
Bridget Ryan that drew a roar from the visiting bench and drew the Cardinals even at 11‐11.
The first set alone turned into a roller coaster of runs. The Cardinals surged ahead 17-14
after Girma stuffed a kill and O’Brien drilled a setter dump to stun New Paltz.
The Cardinals led 21-18 and looked poised to take control. In the second set, the
Cardinals energy remained high. The team jumped off 3-1 as O’Brien made a quick kill with first year middle Anabella Almeida. As Plattsburgh appeared to lose their flow, New Paltz picked up
speed and hammered down eight points in a row.
Estime stuffed a block and Mulvey swung hard for two kills in an attempt to steady the
ship, but the gap grew to 14-7. The Cardinals led 15–11 on to two straight kills from senior
opposite Kyleigh Ganz, but unforced mistakes began to creep in the form of mis-tracked digs,
setter-net violations, and service mis-fires. At 20-11, the difference was clearly seen. Plattsburgh
put up a valiant fight, Girma hammered a kill, Mulvey served and pulled up an ace but the set
finished 25–13 in their favor, and it was evident that the intensity had dropped.
The Cardinals displayed tenacity throughout the third set. In the back row, Ryan went on
a 7-point defensive rampage, gathering rebounds and sustaining rallies. Set to Almeida for a kill,
back-row assault to Girma for a kill, and a dump by O’Brien to cut the margin to 5-3, O’Brien
orchestrated a stunning 3-point run. However, NewPaltz once again replied with power and
accuracy through precise sets, on-target serves, and taking advantage of weak passes. As the
Hawks jumped up to 12‐4 and then 20‐7, Plattsburgh’s hitting percentage declined.
This loss may be more than just a loss. The Cardinals showed solid leadership, powerful
digs, soaring kills, and composed serve-receive. The Cardinals still have a chance to turn things
around this season if their core keeps getting stronger and holds when the chips fall.
