WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The College at Brockport volleyball team fell in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships on Friday afternoon three sets to one. With the defeat, the team rounds of their season with a 26-9 record while Juniata advances to the next round to face the winner of Wittenberg and Penn State Behrend.
 
The Green and Gold got off to quite the start in this contest, winning the opening set by a final score of 25-13. DeAnna Ortiz-Whittemore, Jamie Schlesinger, and Laiken Fox were all dominant on the attack, notching four kills apiece in the stanza. The team was outstanding defensively in the set, as Juniata was seemingly unable to get their offense going against the Brockport back row.
 
The Eagles picked up their game in the second set however, taking an early 4-0 lead and never looking back. Fox notched another four kills in the set, but it was not enough for Brockport as Juniata would take it by a final score of 25-15.
 
Trailing 10-5 in the third set, Maddy Taylor came to the service line and put the Golden Eagles right back in the game, serving five straight points to knot the game back up at 10-10. Juniata would respond however, going on a run of their own that they were able to sustain through the remainder of the set, winning it 25-18. The Eagles kept that momentum going in the fourth and final set as well, taking an early lead and extending it throughout to the eventual final of 25-11.
 
Schlesinger led the team offensively, tallying 11 kills while making just four hitting errors for a .212 hitting percentage from the right side. Ortiz-Whittemore picked up 12 kills of her own, while Fox (9) and Brianna Richardson (6) combined for 15.
 
Schlesinger also led the team in digs with 15, and was backed up by Taylor with 10, and Noelle Poloncarz who had eight. Poloncarz was also instrumental in facilitating the offense, dishing out 40 assists on the day.
 
This season marks the third consecutive NCAA Playoff appearance for the Golden Eagle volleyball team, as they continue to thrive year in and year out under head coach Steve Pike. The team will return four All-Conference players from this years team in Fox, Ortiz-Whittemore, Mastro, and Taylor.
 
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