POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - The Vassar College women's volleyball team opened action at the 2019 Vassar Invitational on Friday evening, shouldering a tough opening loss to Montclair State University, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-19). The second match of the night saw Nazareth College post a nail-bitting 3-2 (25-15, 20-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-10) win over Medaille College.
The Brewers opened up an early lead on the Red Hawks to open the match, but Montclair State came roaring back, turning a 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 advantage behind a pair of kills from sophomore outside hitter Leah Higgins (Leonia, NJ). VC battled and tied the set at 7-all behind back-to-back aces from sophomore setter
Sara Ehnstrom (Kaneohe, HI).
Vassar owned a 21-18 advantage late following a kill from senior hitter
Colette Cambey (Hillsborough, NC), but the Red Hawks rebounded with a kill from sophomore middle blocker Victoria Tennon (Richmond, TX), coupled with a pair of Brewers errors for the 25-23 set win.
The home team stormed out to an early lead once again in the second set, owning a 6-2 edge after a kill from senior hitter
Jennifer Kerbs (Sacramento, CA). Vassar continued to press, capitalizing on several MSU errors to grab a 15-12 lead, but the Red Hawks answered once again down the stretch with an 8-0 run to capture the lead for good.
Montclair State dominated the opening of the third frame with an 8-3 advantage. A kill from Cambey closed the gap to 12-9, but the visitors matched point-for-point, using short runs throughout to build up a 21-17 edge. Kills from Higgins, Tennon and sophomore outside hitter Carly Waterman (Verona, NJ) wrapped up the match.
For Montclair State, Higgins led all players with 13 kills, while Waterman added 12 kills. Junior setter Megan O'Rourke (Cherry Hill, NJ) notched a match-best 34 assists, as junior outside hitter Siyara Herbert (Maplewood, NJ) recorded a match-high 17 digs. Tennon and freshman middle blocker Gianna Arias (Closter, NJ) each had four block assists.
Vassar was paced by sophomore hitter
Claire Basler-Chang (Amherst, MA) and Cambey, who each laid down nine kills. Basler-Chang also notched 11 digs while Ehnstrom and sophomore libero
Claire Bialek (Brookline, MA) each posted a team-best 13 digs. Ehnstrom also had three service aces to lead the game, as Kerbs laid down a match-best two block solos with a block assist.
In the nightcap, Medaille and Nazareth took to the court, battling it out in a five-set thriller. With the Golden Flyers holding a 2-1 edge and a lead late in the fourth set, the Mavericks responded, coming from behind to take the 26-24 set lead.
The final set was another back and forth effort that saw Nazareth take control mid-way. Despite the momentum, Medaille once again rebounded and pulled it close until untimely errors pushed the advantage into the Golden Flyers hands for the final victory.
Senior outside hitter Delaney Martin (Syracuse, NY) paced all players with 17 kills on the night, while also adding 12 digs and a block assist. Classmate and fellow hitter Danielle Synowski (Fairport, NY) laid down 14 kills with 16 digs, while junior setter Jessica Barry (Brewerton, NY) posted a match-high 50 assists. Rounding out the numbers for the Golden Flyers was sophomore libero McKenzie Hart (Apalachin, NY) with a match-best 39 digs.
For Medaille, senior middle blocker Kaileigh Carroll (York, NY) recorded 10 kills, adding nine digs and a block assist. Freshman outside hitter Olivia Anderson (Mayville, NY) had eight kills and a a match-high four service aces, while junior setter Sierra Wells (Jamestown, NY) boasted 35 assists and 23 digs to lead her team.
Action at the 2019 Vassar Invitational continues on Saturday at 10am as Vassar takes on Nazareth at Kenyon Hall. Montclair State will face Medaille at 12pm, followed by the Red Hawks battling Nazareth at 2pm. The final match of the day at 4pm will see the Brewers taking on Medaille.
