BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Brockport volleyball split the second day of the Golden Eagle Invitational, defeating Allegheny in straight sets before falling to Scranton in a tough five set match. The team is now 30-3 on the season heading into the SUNY Championships next weekend.
Game 1 vs. Allegheny: W, 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-14)
The sweep of Allegheny gave the Golden Eagles their 30th victory of the season, making them the first team in DIII to reach that mark this season. This is the second straight year that the Golden Eagles have surpassed the 30-win plateau.
The win over Allegheny was an easy one, as the Golden Eagles controlled nearly every aspect of the game, particularly serving where they held an 8-1 advantage in service aces.
Noelle Poloncarz led the way in that category with four, and was joined by
Maddy Taylor (2),
Aimee Spilman (1), and
Kathleen Irwin (1).
Poloncarz also dished out 36 assists on the day, 11 of which went to
Emma Stoltz who led the team in the attacking category for the second straight game. Six other players also recorded kills in the match, including
Sam Holdredge (9),
Brianna Richardson (9), and
Jamie Schlesinger (8), who combined for 26.
Irwin was the leader of the Golden Eagle defense, accounting for 20 of the teams 68 digs while making just 1 receiving error. Poloncarz and Taylor backed her up in that category, combing for 27 digs.
Brockport was able to play from ahead for almost the entirety of the match, trailing for only one point at the 8-7 mark of the first set. They turned it on after that, outscoring Allegheny 68-39 for the remainder of the match.
Game 2 vs. Scranton: L, 3-2 (17-25, 25-11, 25-23, 25-27, 7-15)
After dropping the first set to Scranton, Brockport was able to regain momentum in the second when they hopped out to an early 8-0 lead. Richardson was a force on the block during that stretch, assisting on three blocks with
Emma Stoltz and adding a solo. The team used that early momentum to take the second set easily, 25-11.
The next two sets were as close as they come, with Brockport taking the third 25-23 behind two late kills from Schlesinger and Stoltz. They faced set point twice in the fourth, and were able to fend off the first when
Kelly Waters killed a ball out of the middle. Scranton was able to close out the set on their second try however, as Catherine Manning killed two of her 15 balls to give the Royals the win, 27-25.
Scranton came out strong again in the fifth, grabbing an 8-3 lead at the changeover that they were able to hang on to, taking the set 15-7 and handing Brockport its first loss in 20 games.
For the third straight match, Stoltz led the Golden Eagle hitters with 20 kills to go with her four block assists. Following her was Richardson, who recorded 12 kills on 24 attempts for a .458 hitting percentage. The junior also added five blocks, four of which were assisted.
Spilman was unstoppable on defense, registering a career-high 33 digs, shattering her previous best of 24 by nearly ten. The junior also added one of the squads ten service aces, a category that was led by Irwin who recorded five.
Poloncarz had another 50-assist performance, recording 51 to go with her season-high five kills and seven digs.
The Golden Eagles have a bye in the opening round of the SUNYAC playoffs, and will await the winner of Tuesday's matchup between Geneseo and Fredonia. The semifinal match will be played in Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium on Friday at 7 pm.
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