Factoryville, PA – The Alfred State volleyball team earned a earned a split at the Keystone Clash with a victory over Keystone 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 26-24). The Pioneers fell in the early game against Marywood 3-0 (18-25, 22-25, 19-25).
Game 2 vs Keystone
The Pioneers improved to 9-7 on the season with a strong all-around performance, hitting .228 as a team while recording 34 kills, 10 service aces, and three blocks in the sweep.
Alfred State opened the match by pulling away late in the first set. After the teams battled through 11 ties, the Pioneers used key kills from
Rebecca Jackson, Ally Hillyard, and
Brianny Rodriguez to secure a 25-21 victory.
The second set belonged to Alfred State from the start. The Pioneers raced out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, holding Keystone to a .037 hitting percentage. A pair of service aces from
Alayna Tomlinson helped fuel the run as Alfred State cruised to a 25-13 win and a two-set advantage.
The third set proved to be the most competitive of the afternoon. Keystone built a 20-13 lead and appeared poised to extend the match, but Alfred State responded with a remarkable comeback. Back-to-back service aces from
Ava Wickes helped spark a 9-1 run that erased the deficit and tied the set at 21-21. The teams traded points down the stretch before the Pioneers secured the final two points, finishing off the 26-24 victory on a service ace from
Caley Larsen.
Rebecca Jackson led the Alfred State attack with 10 kills while hitting .346.
Alli Hillyard added nine kills and
Brianny Rodriguez chipped in four kills and a block.
Isabel Carew directed the offense with 26 assists and also contributed two service aces and six digs. Tomlinson finished with seven kills and a team-high four service aces, while Wickes paced the defense with 12 digs and added two aces during the third-set comeback.
Erin Gregoire was strong at the net, recording three kills and two solo blocks as the Pioneers held Keystone to a .147 hitting percentage.
Game 1 vs Marywood
In the opening match of the day, the Pioneers dropped a three-set decision to Marywood.
Gloria Stem led the offense with eight kills,
Brianny Rodriguez added six kills, and
Isabel Carew recorded 23 assists and 10 digs in the effort.
The Pioneers will return to action on October 10
th as they head across the street to Alfred University for the Alfred Cup match. First serve for that match is set for 6 pm.
