Brockport, NY – The Golden Eagle volleyball team is on the road Thursday night to play in the Empire 8 Semifinals. No. 6 Brockport takes on No. 2 St. John Fisher at 6pm for the right to play in the conference championship this weekend.
 
Empire 8 Semifinals Live: St. John Fisher will be providing live stats and video for the match on Thursday night. Check the following links and follow along on social media (@bportathletics) to keep up with the action: Live Stats | Live Video
 
E8 Quarterfinals Victory: Brockport defeated Hartwick on the road in the Empire 8 Quarterfinals, 3-1. Each set was tightly contested, as Brockport took a the first 25-21 to go up 1-0 early. The Hawks bounced back on their home floor with a 25-18 showing in the second to tie the match at 1-1. The Green and Gold retook the lead at 2-1 after winning the third set, 25-20. Brockport closed out the match with a hard-fought, 25-23, win in the fourth set.
 
Alexis Sison had a team-high 11 kills to go with 13 digs, one ace, and a pair of block assists. Also hitting double-digit in the kills column was Alenna Williamson with 10 on .381 hitting. Brockport got offense from Anna Cascapera (9) and Maddy Howell (8) as well, as the two combined for 17 kills.
 
Howell was one of several blockers with an effective night defending the net. She was joined by Lauren Emke with three block assists each. Cascapera had two, while Williamson and Ellie Cusmano each had one on the night.
 
Kaitlyn Jewett had 22 assists and Lauryn Forand finished with 18 as the Golden Eagle setters. Both also had three service aces in the match. Elsie Logan led the squad with 15 digs as the libero and chipped in four assists.
 
As a team, Hartwick had the advantage in points, kills, assists, and digs on the night. However, the Hawks also had more attacking errors than Brockport which made the difference in several close sets.
 
Recent Postseason Success: Even though the Golden Eagles are in a new conference this season, they continue the recent tradition of deep postseason runs. They have now advanced to the conference semifinals or better in eight of the last nine seasons. Now in his second season at the helm, Head Coach Jim Clar is making his second straight semifinal appearance. Clar had Brockport in the SUNYAC Semifinals a year ago in his first year with the program.
 
E8 All-Conference Awards: The Empire 8 recently released the 2024 All-Conference awards. Elsie Logan was recognized as the E8 Libero of the Year and earned 1st-Team All-Conference. Alenna Williamson took 2^nd-Team honors, while freshman Lauren Emke snagged a spot on the 3^rd-Team.
 
Against Fisher: Brockport and Fisher played in the regular season at The Vlog, where the Golden Eagles took the win 3-1. The match began with a convincing showing from the visiting Cardinals in the first set. They took the first point of the match, 25-13. Brockport bounced back in the second with a 25-21 in to tie the match up at 1-1. The squad then repeated that scoring tally in the third set, 25-21, to take a 2-1 lead. The Golden Eagles finished up the match in the fourth set, 25-18, to secure the 3-1 victory at home.
 
Offensively, it was a two-headed monster for Brockport on the attack. Alexis Sison (38 TA) and Alenna Williamson (35 TA) were the go-to attackers on the night. Sison had a team-high 12 kills, while Williamson had 11.
 
Another Brockport duo handled the rotations in at the setter spot. Lauryn Forand totaled 22 assists, while Kaitlyn Jewett contributed 15.
 
Libero Elsie Logan led the team in digs on the defensive side of the action. Logan totaled 21 digs on the night, leading all players for the match. Alexis Sison got down for 15 digs and Gianna Felipe flew around the court for 10 digs.
 
Defending the net for the Green and Gold were middle blockers Lauren Emke and Alenna Williamson. Emke got up for four solo blocks and Williamson got credit for two solo blocks of her own.
 
On the serve, the Golden Eagles had five aces against the Cardinals. Logan and Jewett both had two, while Forand chipped in with one service ace.
 
Looking at the Cardinals: The St. John Fisher Cardinals finished the regular season 18-8 overall and 9-2 in the conference to earn the Empire 8's No. 2 seed for the postseason. Getting hot at the right time of the year, St. John Fisher has won seven straight heading into Thursday night's semifinal. As the higher seed, Fisher earned the right to play at home at the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym where the Cardinals are 9-1 on the season.
 
Win or Go Home: It is do or die at this point in the season for both teams. The losing team's season will come to an end, while the winners advance to play for the Empire 8 Championship on Saturday (11/16).