By Emma Deo
After last year’s split — losing to Buffalo State but making a thrilling five-set senior day comeback against Fredonia — Plattsburgh State volleyball (3-13, 0-2) couldn’t find the same spark this season, losing both matches over their weekend out west.
Plattsburgh volleyball opened up SUNYAC play this weekend with two 0-3 losses to Fredonia (8-12, 1-1) and Buffalo State (10-8, 2-0).
Plattsburgh State began the weekend visiting Fredonia and falling in straight sets 22-25, 15-25 and 22-25 on Friday, Oct. 4.
Although this series did not produce any set wins for the Cardinals, their growth as a team this season has not gone unrecognized.
“We’re executing in those moments that we weren’t before. We’re coming together a lot more consistently now,” head coach Eimile O’Brien said.
Sophomore right-side hitter Darby Collyear led the Cardinals with nine kills, with sophomore outside hitter Liya Girma following closely behind with eight. Anabella Almeida, first-year setter, had 13 assists to lead the team.
Plattsburgh started the first set strong, opening the game with an 8-2 lead. Fredonia battled back to make it 9-6, keeping the set close, but Plattsburgh maintained its lead until Fredonia went on a five-point run to take the lead 21-20. The Cardinals kept it close with a kill from sophomore right-side hitter Iris Mulvey, but the Blue Devils took the opening set 25-22.
Fredonia opened the second set on a 5-0 run, but two kills from Collyear and one from Girma brought the score to 8-4. Fredonia was able to capitalize on some Plattsburgh errors and won the second set 25-15.
The third set was back-and-forth, with both squads trading leads. Plattsburgh went down 12-10, but kills from Mulvey and Almeida highlighted a four-point run for the Cardinals, putting them up 14-12. This was the longest run of the set for either team. Plattsburgh battled until the end, but Fredonia ultimately took the third and final set 25-22.
“I think our energy was really consistent today, which is something we’ve been working on, and our defense was pretty scrappy,” junior defensive specialist Bridget Ryan said.
The Cardinals finished their weekend trip with a 3-0 loss to Buffalo State. Collyear led the Cardinals again with five kills. Mulvey and Girma each notched four kills in the loss. Ryan led the team with six digs.
“If anything, we just need to work on how long we’re letting the other team be on offense,” Collyear said.
This weekend was special for O’Brien, as she was a three-year team captain for Buffalo State and joined the team as an assistant coach in 2023 before coming up north.
“I get to coach against the program that built me,” O’Brien said. “I’m looking forward to being back in the place that gave me so much but with this new, exciting perspective that I have now.”
Buffalo State opened the first set with a 9-2 lead, but a three-point run highlighted by two kills from Girma brought the Cardinals within three. The Bengals offense took charge for the rest of the set, resulting in a 25-15 loss for Plattsburgh State.
This trend continued into the second set, with Plattsburgh State starting off in a 16-2 deficit. Plattsburgh’s offense was highlighted by kills from Mulvey and junior outside hitter Maggie Lyon, but the Cardinals dropped set two 25-9.
“Moving forward, we want to run our offense a little more effectively to try and get around the big blocks,” Ryan said.
Buffalo State’s offense produced 34 kills over the match, limiting the Cardinals to just 15.
The third set showcased kills from Mulvey, Lyon and Girma, but this was not enough as Buffalo State took the final set of the weekend 25-7.
“We at least expected that we could go into this weekend with good energy, picking each other up and ensuring that we can compete with both of these teams,” Collyear said.
Plattsburgh volleyball comes home to Memorial Hall this weekend, taking on Cortland and Morrisville on Oct. 11 and 12 respectively in two more SUNYAC matchups.
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