Strong defense kept The College at Brockport volleyball team alive in matches against Buffalo State and Fredonia on the second day of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Pool Play, but the hosting Golden Eagles were unable to capture a victory on Saturday.

Brockport (12-21, 2-6 SUNYAC West) was eliminated from SUNYAC postseason contention with the loss. However, senior Kelly Nowak (Orchard Park, NY/Sacred Heart ) rose above 1,300 career kills on Saturday, as the outside hitter added 32 more kills to her grand total of 1,303. Nowak is only the third person in school history to cross the 1,300-kill plateau.

In the first match of the day, Brockport faced Buffalo State (14-18, 6-2 SUNYAC West). After a one-sided first set, the Golden Eagles improved their play. In the final set, they registered 18 kills, while only committing six errors on 49 attempts, a hitting percentage of .244.

However, Buffalo State captured the match in three sets, with set scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 27-25. Four players on Brockport turned in double-digit digs, and junior Sarah Zelko (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) recorded 30 assists to lead the Golden Eagles.

In the second match of the day for the Golden Eagles, they gave Fredonia (21-10, 7-1 SUNYAC West) everything it could handle. The Blue Devils needed five sets to put away Brockport, who lost the first two sets, 27-25 and 25-10.

Brockport stormed back, earning a 25-16 win in the third set, followed by a 25-23 win of the fourth set, sending the match to a decisive fifth set. In sets three and four, the Golden Eagles had 23 kills, with only six attacking errors.

Fredonia won the fifth set, 15-9, and secured a 4-0 performance at the tournament. In the match against Fredonia, freshman Chelsea Ross (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell) collected 24 digs, while junior Alex Stribing (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) gathered a team-high 26 digs, giving her 43 digs on the day.

Zelko produced 46 assists in the loss, and three other Brockport players had double-digit digs in the long match. The team as a whole registered 96 digs in the match.

“It was a complete team effort today,” head coach Kelly Greapentrog said. “Our defense was impeccable on Saturday, as Ross and Stribing both played outstanding. The match against Fredonia was definitely our best of the season.”

The full results of pool play can be found here.

The Golden Eagles travel to Rochester next weekend, as they wrap up their season at the University of Rochester Invitational.