BROCKPORT, NY — The SUNY Brockport volleyball team wrapped up play at the Brockport Invitational on Saturday afternoon, splitting its day two slate at the Jim & John Vlogianitis Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles dropped a four-set decision to Grove City College (1-3) before bouncing back in dramatic fashion with a gritty 3-1 victory over St. Lawrence University. Following the afternoon split, Brockport sits at 4-3 overall on the season.
Match 1: Grove City 3, Brockport 1
In Saturday's opening contest, Brockport battled in a tight four-set matchup against Grove City, ultimately falling 23-25, 16-25, 25-19, 20-25.
After dropping the first two frames, the Green and Gold responded with their best offensive set of the match in the third. Brockport caught fire at the net, attacking at a blazing .382 clip with 16 kills to secure the 25-19 win and extend the match. However, Grove City regrouped in the fourth set to seal the victory.
Kaylee Dickerson-Holly paced the attack for Brockport, racking up a team-high 13 kills alongside three digs and a solo block.
Ellie Cusmano put together a sharp performance on the outside, putting down 12 kills on 24 swings with just four errors for a team-best .333 hitting percentage.
Luba Butcher added eight kills and two solo blocks at the net, while
Maddy Howell recorded six kills and three solo blocks.
Setters
Kaitlyn Jewett and
Ava Baty directed the offense with 19 and 15 assists, respectively. Defensively, libero
Elsie Logan turned in another standout effort on the backline, digging out a game-high 22 attacks.
Match 2: Brockport 3, St. Lawrence 1
The Golden Eagles closed out the weekend with an absolute thriller against St. Lawrence, prevailing in a high-intensity, back-and-forth battle that saw two sets go past the 25-point mark (26-28, 25-8, 27-25, 28-26). The match featured 29 tie scores and 16 lead changes.
After dropping a extended 28-26 opening frame, Brockport responded with dominant authority in set two. The Golden Eagles clicked on all cylinders, hitting an incredible .429 with 14 kills to blow past the Saints 25-8 and level the match. Sets three and four were pure dogfights. In the third set, Brockport fought off deep St. Lawrence rallies to edge out a 27-25 victory. The fourth frame brought even more high drama, with 12 ties and four lead changes, but the Green and Gold stood tall in extra points to lock down the 28-26 win and secure the match.
A balanced offensive attack powered Brockport's victory, featuring four players in double-digit kills. Dickerson-Holly led the charge once again with 15 kills (.257 percentage) and seven digs. Butcher stepped up big on the attack with 14 kills on 30 swings (.300 percentage) along with three blocks.
Ana Parella was a force on the right side, putting together a stellar match with 10 kills on a .381 hitting percentage, six total blocks (four solo), and three digs.
Anna Kurtzhalts came off the bench to deliver a monster spark, throwing down eight kills on 19 attempts without an error (.421 percentage).
Baty and Jewett dished out 22 and 21 assists to guide the set distribution. From the service line, Brockport racked up 11 service aces—led by three apiece from Logan and
Alyssa Guzman—to keep the Saints out of system. Logan also anchored the defense with a team-high 13 digs.
Up Next: The Golden Eagles return to the Jim & John Vlogianitis Gymnasium on Friday, September 18th at 6:00 p.m. as they host RIT for Homecoming Weekend.
