Alfred, NY- The Alfred State volleyball team dominated their home court in today's Tri-Match against Pitt-Greensburg and SUNY Oneonta. The Pioneers made their statement by securing the first match of the day against the Bobcats in three sets (25-8, 25-14, 25-16). With a nail-biter of a match against the Red Dragons, the Pios rose up with a big comeback and captured the win, 3-2 (25-23, 13-25, 20-25, 27-25, 15-11).
 
Match 1:
Alayna Tomlinson commanded the court in game one, with a double-double, 10 kills and 12 digs. Erin Gregoire chipped in seven kills, three aces and three blocks. Ava Wickes contributed 11 digs and six aces, with Gabriella Thurmond notching 31 assists, seven digs and a block.
 
The Pioneers set the tone early in set one with a 10-point rally, four points from Pio kills. The Bobcats tried to close the cap but came up short as ASC continued to put points on the board. With a 16-3 lead, the Pioneers kept their momentum high as Carmen Crowley, Gregoire and Tomlinson laid down dominant kills to take an even larger lead. Crowley closed out the set with yet another kill. With energies high, set two saw the Pioneers an out the gate four-point rally. Pitt-Greensburg narrowed the deficit in the middle of the match, 20-14. Gregoire and Tomlinson took control taking the last five points for themselves as Tomlinson notched a kill and Gregoire laid three aces down and her own kill, 25-14.
 
To close out the match, ASC utilized all their attributes in set three. The Bobcats managed to take a short lead early in the set 7-6 until the Pioneers mounted a comeback. Rebecca Jackson and Tomlinson both tallied five kills throughout the last set. Alfred earned the last set win 25-16.
 
Match 2:
Gloria Stem shattered the previous kills-per match record with a remarkable 26 kills in game two, as well as adding 17 digs for herself. She also broke the record for points per match with 28 points. Jackson logged nine kills and two aces, Gregoire added eight kills and two blocks of her own as well.
 
Looking to bring the same momentum from the Pitt-Greensburg match, the Pioneers were quickly faced with the same intensity from the Red Dragons. Stem ignited the floor with a first point on the board kill to get the match rolling. After a five-point rally from Alfred, Oneonta slowly began to claw their way back onto the board making the Pios defense work hard. The Red Dragons tied the set 14-14 to which ASC responded with back-to-back kills from Gregoire and Stem. Closing out set one saw Stem lay one of her many intense kills of the match, 25-23. Despite efforts, set two went in favor of Oneonta. Even with six kills from Stem along with a scattered few from Tomlinson and Crowley, the Pioneers fell short in a 13-25 loss.
 
Going into set three, the Pioneers looked to take over the lead. With points bouncing back and forth between both teams, the Red Dragons ultimately took the set win. The Pios managed to take a mid-set, one-point lead that did not last long as Oneonta grabbed a five-point rally creating solid distance. Jackson and Gregoire closed that gap slightly but not enough as the Dragons took the win, 25-20. As Oneonta had control of the match 2-1, the fourth set determined if the Pios could bring back their stamina and send them into a fifth set. Grabbing a early lead, 6-2 the Pioneers headed in the right direction, as Stem continued to deliver kills. The Red Dragons rallied late in the set with a big seven-point comeback to put them up 20-19. Intensity from both teams set the score at 25-25 until a Dragon error and Stem kill sent the match into the fifth set, 27-25.
 
The Pioneers intently started strong in the final set, as Crowley, Alli Hillyard and Stem lit up the court, 5-1. Oneonta didn't back down, snatching points back slowly. Jackson recorded a kill and service ace to give Alfred the cushion they were looking for, 13-7. After a few Red Dragon points and Crowley kill, Stem drove home the final kill for the Pioneers that allowed them to take home the nail-biting win, 15-11.
 
Alfred State will get back on the road on Wednesday to face Penn State Behrend in a big conference match-up. First serve set for 7 pm.