Oneonta, NY – The Alfred State volleyball team split the day in their Tri-match at Hartwick, losing to the Hawks 0-3 (15-25, 22-25, 21-25) and taking down Utica 3-1 (13-25, 24-14, 25-19, 26-24). After the day, Pios move to 9-6 on the season.

Game 1 vs. Utica – Win, 3-1

Set Scores: 13-25, 25-14, 25-19, 26-24

The Pioneers bounced back after a slow start to take down Utica in four sets.

Erin Gregoire led the offense with an impressive .800 hitting percentage, tallying eight kills on zero errors. Alayna Tomlinson also had a standout performance with 14 kills. Gabriella Thurmond recorded a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs.

Alfred struggled in the first set, falling behind early and never recovering in a 25-13 loss.

In the second set, the Pioneers came out with renewed energy. Thurmond sparked the momentum with two consecutive aces and a kill to put ASC up 3-0. After a quick point by Utica, Caitlyn Gilman added a kill. Alfred continued to press, eventually taking an 11-10 lead. From there, the Pioneers surged ahead behind a kill from Sophia Phillips and another Thurmond ace, opening a 17-10 gap. They maintained control to close out the set 25-14.

Set three was tightly contested in the early stages, with the teams deadlocked at 5-5. Utica responded with a 5-0 run to make it 10-5, and later extended the lead to 17-11. But Alfred launched a comeback—featuring an ace from Ava Wickes, two kills from Gregoire, and several opponent errors—to take the lead at 18-17. The set was tied again at 19-19 before ASC closed it out on a 6-0 run, highlighted by three service aces and a kill from Gloria Stem.

The final set mirrored the intensity of the third. Tied at 6-6 early, Tomlinson gave Alfred a narrow edge with a kill. The teams continued to trade points, eventually tying at 24-24. Wickes came through in the clutch with back-to-back aces to seal the 26-24 set win and secure the match.

Game 2 vs. Hartwick – Loss, 0-3

Set Scores: 15-25, 22-25, 21-25

In their second match of the day, the Pioneers fell in three competitive sets to Hartwick.

Tomlinson once again led Alfred with 11 kills and nine digs. Thurmond added 24 assists and three aces.

Alfred stayed close early in the first set, trailing just 6-5 before the Hawks went on a dominant run to take a 19-9 lead. The Pioneers settled in and trimmed the gap with a Tomlinson ace and two kills from Stem, making it 21-14. Though they scored four straight points late, they couldn't close the gap and dropped the set 25-19.

The second set featured more back-and-forth action. Alfred grabbed a 12-10 lead following a Gregoire ace and held an 18-16 advantage later in the set. However, Hartwick responded down the stretch and edged out a 25-22 win.
The Pioneers battled again in the third, staying within striking distance throughout. Despite their efforts, they fell 25-21, dropping the match 3-0.

The Pioneers will head to Elmira, NY next to face off against the Soaring Eagles next on Tuesday, October 7^th at 6pm.