BY DAWNISHA FRANKLIN
Coming off their upset over fifth-seeded Alfred State, the eighth-seeded Plattsburgh State women’s volleyball team traveled to fourth-seeded Morrisville for a State University of New York Athletic Conference, SUNYAC, Tournament second-round matchup Thursday night. The Cardinals took the opening set before the Mustangs responded by winning the next two. Plattsburgh battled back to force a fifth set, but Morrisville ultimately secured a 3-2 victory, bringing the Cardinals’ season to a close.
Senior outside hitter Liya Girma paced Plattsburgh with 14 kills and 10 digs for a double-double, along with three service aces. The Cardinals finished with a 9-7 advantage in service aces. Senior opposite hitter Darby Collyear followed with nine kills, 10 digs and four blocks as Plattsburgh held a 9-6 edge at the net. Sophomore Emily O’Brien directed the offense with a game-high 33 assists and added 10 digs for a double-double. Senior libero KC Burke contributed eight digs and three service aces.
For the Mustangs, Isabelle Eskierka led all players with a game-high 28 kills, while Keely Shearer recorded a game-high 25 assists. Kylie Hutchinson anchored the defense with a game-high 18 digs as Morrisville finished with a 63-48 advantage in the category.
Despite Morrisville scoring the first points, Plattsburgh quickly took control with a 4-0 burst led by Collyear, who contributed three points to give the Cardinals a 6-3 lead. The offense continued to find its rhythm, adding three unanswered points capped by a Burke service ace to extend the advantage to 15-10. An Anderson kill pushed Plattsburgh ahead 19-12, but Morrisville battled back to cut the deficit to 23-21. The Cardinals answered by scoring the next two points, with a combined block from Brooke Anderson and Girma sealing the 25-21 set win.
Plattsburgh had a slower start in the second set, trailing 16-8 after a Girma kill off an O’Brien assist. The Cardinals were unable to string together a scoring run, and a 5-0 Morrisville surge put the set out of reach at 22-9. The Mustangs went on to take the set, 25-11.
Morrisville held an early lead in the third set before a 3-0 Plattsburgh burst, featuring two O’Brien kills, gave the Cardinals their first advantage at 11-10. The teams continued to trade points, staying within one of each other until the Mustangs pulled ahead 24-21. Augustina White delivered a kill to halt Morrisville’s momentum, but the Mustangs scored the next point to close out the set, 25-22.
The fourth set featured several momentum swings as Plattsburgh fought to extend the match. The Cardinals jumped out to a 10-4 lead following a 3-0 surge sparked by a Girma kill. A White kill followed by a Burke service ace helped extend the advantage to 17-11. Morrisville responded with a strong push of its own, eventually taking a 20-19 lead. The teams continued to battle, reaching a 26-26 deadlock after another Girma kill. Plattsburgh then scored the next two points to claim the set, 28-26, and force a deciding fifth set.
Morrisville controlled the start of the fifth set, building a 6-4 lead after a Girma kill. Plattsburgh rallied to pull within one at 8-7, but the Mustangs answered by extending their advantage to 11-7. The Cardinals couldn’t put together another scoring run, and although Collyear added a late kill, Morrisville closed out the set, 15-10, to secure the match victory.
With the loss, Plattsburgh concludes its season with a 14-15 overall record, marking the program’s best finish since 2013.
