Alfred, NY – The Alfred State volleyball team suffered two losses on the day as the fell to the Mounties in their conference matchup 3-1 (25-13, 25-20, 27-25, 23-16, 25-18), and to the Saxons in the Alfred Cup 3-1 (25-14, 26-24, 25-15, 25-19). Pios fall to 10-8 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Game 1: 3-1 (25-13, 25-20, 27-25, 23-16, 25-18)

Leading the way for Alfred, Alayna Tomlinson registered a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs. Gloria Stem notched seven kills and 11 digs. Gabriella Thurmond facilitated well, delivering 34 assists. Ava Wickes protected the back line with a total of 14 digs.

The Pioneers started off with a rough first set as they dropped it to the Mounties 25-13.

In the second set, the Pioneers continued struggling to find their offense. After finding themselves in a 6-1 deficit, momentum began to surge. The Mounties committed two errors along with a Gregoire kill to bring about a 7-4 game. Aloysius followed with two consecutive points. Alfred then went on a 5-0 run to break even at 9-9. Tomlinson, Gregoire, and Thurmond delivered a kill each to contribute to this run.

From there, both teams battled back and forth as there were constant lead changes. With the score tied at 14-14, the Pioneers broke away to a four-point advantage after Caley Larsen delivered an ace and Stem a kill to capitalize off some Aloysius errors. Despite the strong set for Alfred, the Mounties tied the score up at 19-19 and didn't look back as they took the set 25-20.

The third set was still a battle for Alfred. This time however, the Pioneers started of strong as they struck first with Carmen Crowley hammering down a kill to kick off the set 1-0. After Aloysius answered back, Alfred tacked on three more with two of the points coming from Tomlinson and Stem. As both teams continued trading throughout the set, ASC saw a deficit of 24-23. Stem tied it all up when she pounded the ball to the floor for a kill, 24-24.

Although the Mounties answered right back, the Pioneers closed out what was a nail-biter of a set with three consecutive points. After Gregoire delivered a kill, Larsen nailed two consecutive serves that no one could touch, taking the set 27-24.
The final set started off cold for Alfred as they were left with an 8-0 gap to chip away early on. The Pioneers soon begin to rally and capitalize off errors made by the Mounties to bring a 16-9 game. Tomlinson registered two kills within that time. Aloysius then went on a short run to take a 20-10 margin. With an ace from Wickes and Rebecca Jackson, along with kills delivered by Gregoire and Sophia Phillips, Alfred shortened the gap to 24-18. Despite the late rally, Pioneers lost the set 25-18.

Game 2: 3-1 (25-14, 26-24, 25-15, 25-19)

Stem registered a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Tomlinson was also a force on the offensive end with 17 registered kills. Thurmond delivered 35 assists and six aces while Wickes notched 13 digs.

In the first set, ASC looked to find their momentum as they trailed throughout the entire set. Despite some efforts from Tomlinson and Gregoire, and Stem, the Pioneers dropped the set 25-14.

In the second set, ASC began to come alive. After the score was tied at 1-1, the Pioneers went on a 4-1 run, with Stem recording two kills and Gregoire and Tomlinson adding one each. Afterwards, the Saxons answered with a run of their own to bring an 11-6 game. Tomlinson delivered a kill and Stem an ace to shorten the gap to just three.

Both sides stayed relatively even as they continued trading the lead. With the score tied at 18-18, ASC looked to make up for the first set. After an error and an ace, the Saxons went up by two. However, Gregoire laid down a kill to take the one-point advantage. With the action continuing, the Pioneers were down 24-22, but Tomlinson delivered two consecutive kills to even it all up. Despite Pios' efforts, the Saxons were able to take the set after tacking on two more.

The Pioneers came out swinging in the third set. With two services delivered by Thurmond and some errors from the Saxons, Pios saw a 5-0 advantage early on. After some more back-and-forth, ASC's lead was shortened to three, 15-13. However, the team began to rally with Tomlinson hammering down a kill to kick of the surge in momentum. The Pioneers closed off the set with six kills and three aces consecutively for a 25-14 game.

The fourth set was an all-out war. ASC struck first with Tomlinson laying down a kill. After an error, the score was immediately tied up at 1-1. From there, the Saxons found their way to 9-5 advantage. The Pioneers shortened the gap to within one. Stem and Tomlinson registered three kills combined to assist during the run, 12-11.

ASC later evened the playing field at 15.15. Stem delivered two aces to bring forth the tie and eventually take the lead. With the battle between both sides still raging on, Gregoire and Tomlinson laid down a kill each to bring about another tie game at 19-19.

Despite ASC's hard fought final set, they were unable to hold off the Saxons as they lost 25-19.

The Pioneers will remain home as they face off against the Hilbert Hawks. First serve is set for Wednesday, October 15^th at 7pm.