Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport women's volleyball team swept Russell Sage, 3-0, at The Vlog in opening round play of the Empire 8 Tournament. The Golden Eagles advance to the E8 Semifinals at Hartwick on November 12^th.
 
After falling behind early in the opening set, Brockport dug deep late to pull out the point, 26-24. The squad got off to better start in the second, 11-6. The visiting Gators tied it up at 11-11 before the home team turned it on. A 7-0 run would clinch the second set, 25-15.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Gators came out swinging to take a quick 8-2 lead I the third. Four straight aces from Gianna Felipe would spark what became a 12-1 run for the Golden Eagles. They would march on to another 25-15 win to complete the 3-0 sweep.
 
Brockport benefitted from nine aces on the serve, as both Gianna Feilpe and Luba Butcher had four in the match.
 
On the stat sheet, the Golden Eagles earned the advantage nearly across the board in kills (39-23), assists (35-20), and digs (53-41).
 
Alexis Sison registered a match-best 13 kills to lead the way on 32 attempts (.344). Madisen Jones hit double digits as well, finishing with 10 kills.
 
Sison also led the group with 13 digs on the other side of the action. Gianna Felipe totaled 11 digs and Kaitlyn Jewett had 10 as well. Grace Ippoliti played well during her rotation with nine digs.
 
Jewett's passing greatly impacted the Brockport attack, as she racked up 27 assists in the match.
 
In the middle, Alenna Williamson got up for three solo blocks to lead the defensive effort. Ana Parella had two solos and Luba Butcher added one as well.
 
The Golden Eagles head back to the Empire 8 Semifinals for a second straight year. They are set to head to No. 3 Hartwick on Wednesday, November 12^th for a 6pm start. The winner moves on to play for the E8 Title.