The Plattsburgh State volleyball team competed and lost against The College at Brockport, SUNY Cortland and Buffalo State in the SUNYAC Pool Play hosted by SUNY Geneseo.
On Oct. 6 the Cardinals fell to Brockport 0-3 (10-25, 16-25, 20-25) and followed suit on Oct. 7, losing 0-3 (14-25, 18-25, 10-25) to SUNY Cortland and 0-3 (14-25, 18-25, 10-25) to Buffalo State.
In spite of their losing streak, the Cards are determined to keep playing at a high level throughout the rest of the season starting with the next SUNYAC Pool Play tonight in Oneonta.
Head coach Jake Bluhm said that even though PSUC may not be going to the SUNYAC playoffs this time around, the team still intends to play some quality volleyball.
“In these final weeks, we’ll continue to play hard and hopefully find a little pride that we have that Plattsburgh emblem on our jerseys.” Bluhm said.
This season, the Cards have been heavily hit with injuries that have been difficult for the team, with players in positions they are not accustomed to. However, they have been working hard to hold their own on the court.
Bryanne Yasui, sophomore libero and defensive specialist, said that the team has grown while overcoming the changes that the injuries caused and working as a group to hold the team together.
“The year is starting to catch up with us,” Bluhm said. “We’re just going to keep pushing to do some damage this weekend.”
PSUC still hopes to achieve high consistency while playing and maintaining their energy to win the rest of the games in the season. Alexis Pascal, senior right side hitter, has definitely noticed an improvement since the team started their season in September.
“There’s always going to be improvement the longer that you play” Pascal said.
Bluhm said that he wants the team to focus on gaining mental strength in these last few weeks of the season.
“Not being as successful as we want can be very draining,” Bluhm said. “So we need to focus on team cohesion and mental toughness.”
On Wednesday, PSUC took on Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs and lost 1-3 (22-25, 12-25, 25-18, 16-25).
Yasui said that the match against Skidmore could help the team go into the weekend games with the right attitude.
“It’s only one match,” Yasui said. “We’ll give it our all and, if we win it, [that] will help momentum going into the weekend.”
Even though the Cards lost against Skidmore College, Bluhm is very proud of the Cards’ determination and resilience while facing adversity despite the outcomes of the game.
“It’s definitely truly challenging to play under these conditions,” Bluhm said. “Playing together as a team has certainly come a long way.”
Email Windsor Burkland at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
