Albany, NY – The Alfred State volleyball team took down Russell Sage in five, 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 27-29, 25-19, 15-12). The Pioneers move to 5-2 on the year.
Gloria Stem led the Pioneer offense with 16 kills and five service aces, while
Alayna Tomlinson recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs.
Isabel Carew tallied 43 assists, and
Caley Larsen added 11 digs.
After a closely contested opening set went in favor of the Gators, the Pioneers responded by taking the second set, 25-22. With the score tied 8-8, an ace from
Kendall Tompkins and a kill from Stem gave Alfred State the lead. The Pioneers maintained their advantage for the remainder of the set to even the match at 1-1.
Alfred State carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to an early 9-3 lead. Russell Sage battled back and eventually took a 22-21 lead, forcing a Pioneer timeout. Coming out of the break, Tomlinson notched a kill to tie the score. After a Gator point, back-to-back kills from Tomlinson and Gregoire gave Alfred State a 24-23 lead. Following a Russell Sage timeout, the teams traded points before the Gators narrowly claimed the set, 29-27.
The Pioneers answered in the fourth set, capitalizing on several Russell Sage errors. Two kills from Stem and another from Rodriguez helped Alfred take the lead. Then, kills from
Rebecca Jackson and Tomlinson extended the advantage to 18-12. Alfred State continued to control the set as they won 25-19 to force a fifth set.
In the final set, the Pioneers carried their momentum from the fourth set and held off the Gators for a 15-12 win.
Alfred State returns to action tomorrow at the Union College Crosstown Challenge, with first serve set for 11 am.
