PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team fell twice on Saturday during the final day of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Pool Play action at Memorial Hall, dropping a 3-1 (25-16, 25-16, 17-25, 25-15) decision to SUNY Geneseo before falling, 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-16), to SUNY New Paltz.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 5-10 overall (0-3 SUNYAC) with the losses and will look to bounce back at the St. Lawrence Tournament next weekend. The Cardinals begin the event with an 8 p.m. match on Friday, Sept. 29, against Elmira College before taking on Cazenovia College (11 a.m.) and Wells College (1 p.m.) on Saturday, Sept. 30. Geneseo and New Paltz rise to 9-4 overall (2-0 SUNYAC) and 8-7 overall (2-1 SUNYAC) with the wins.
 
Geneseo 3, Plattsburgh State 1 (25-16, 25-16, 17-25, 25-15)
 
Though the Cardinals posted 11 blocks as team—their highest total since recording 16 at home against Plymouth State University on Sept. 13, 2013—they were unable to match the offense of Geneseo in a four-set loss.
 
The Knights hit .145 for the match but held a 52-33 edge in kills. Geneseo also had the upper hand in service aces (10-6) and digs (77-75).
 
The two teams scored points in bunches early in the first set, but six unanswered Knight points handed the visitors a 10-6 lead. Sophomore outside hitter/right side Hunter Grotjohn (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) and freshman middle hitter/right side Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) each had kills to cut the gap to two, but Geneseo scored six of the next seven points to break open a 16-9 lead. The Knights wound up having enough breathing room down the stretch with that advantage and took the first set, 25-16.
 
Similar to the first set, Geneseo and Plattsburgh State traded momentum early in the second, but the Knights reversed a 6-4 deficit into a 12-7 lead on the strength of a 7-1 spurt. Though the Cardinals scored consecutive points on two occasions late in the set, the point differential proved too large to overcome in a 25-16 loss in the set.
 
Plattsburgh State shot out to a 7-0 lead to start the third, with a kill by senior right side Lexi Pascal (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) punctuating the run. Geneseo retaliated with a 7-0 tear of its own to knot the tally at 7-all, and the two teams went point for point until Plattsburgh State went on a set-defining 9-1 run, and a block assist by freshman outside hitter Rachel Mennonna (Selden, N.Y./Newfield) and Simmons brought up set point at 24-16. Geneseo's sophomore outside hitter Grace Cergol broke up the spurt with a kill, but Simmons floored a termination to give the Cardinals a 25-17 victory in the third.
 
The Cardinals started off strong in the fourth set, building an 11-8 lead following a service ace by Grotjohn. Geneseo came back decisively, scoring 13 of the next 14 points to construct a 21-12 edge. The Knights cruised from that point forward and clinched the match with a 25-15 triumph in the fourth.
 
Mennonna and Grotjohn scattered 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while sophomore right side/setter Brianna Coon (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) dished out 32 assists. Grotjohn completed the double-double with 20 digs, while Barlow finished with a career-high six total blocks (two solo, four assist).
 
For Geneseo, sophomore outside hitter/right side Abby May registered 18 kills and added nine digs, while freshman middle hitter Bridget Lougen provided 13 terminations. Junior setter Emily Ast handed out 43 assists, while sophomore libero Sam Mendelsohn defended 25 digs.
 
New Paltz 3, Plattsburgh State 1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 25-16)
 
The Cardinals ran into a hot-hitting New Paltz team in their final match of the weekend, as the Hawks hit .278 during the match with 63 kills and 21 errors in 151 total attempts.
 
Though Plattsburgh State had a 5-3 edge in service aces, New Paltz had the upper hand in blocks (6-4) and digs (65-53).
 
Plattsburgh State fought hard in the first set, taking a 15-11 lead and forcing a New Paltz timeout after Simmons floored a service ace. The Cardinals continued to stave off the Hawks until four consecutive New Paltz points handed the visitors a 22-20 edge. The Hawks would lead from that point forward, and a kill by freshman middle hitter Demi Herasme gave New Paltz a 25-22 victory in the first.
 
After back-and-forth play occurred for the majority of the second set, Plattsburgh State tallied three straight points to take a 17-14 lead. After each team sided each other out, the Hawks went on a three-point scoring spree to tie the score at 18-all. While Simmons gave the Cardinals a 19-18 cushion with a kill, New Paltz engineered a 22-19 edge after four unanswered points. Plattsburgh State showed it was up to the task of challenging the perennial SUNYAC contenders by responding with a 5-0 run, and a Grotjohn service ace staked the Cardinals to a 24-22 lead. While New Paltz posted a kill on the next rally, Pascal and Simmons combined for a block assist to seal the 25-23 Cardinal win in the second.
 
Neither team was able to gain much separation early in the third until New Paltz broke the set open with a 9-1 surge to seize a 24-16 edge. Mennonna and Grotjohn broke up the run with kills on the ensuing two rallies, but a Cardinal attacking error handed the Hawks the third, 25-18.
 
New Paltz hopped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth and never looked back, allowing Plattsburgh State to score consecutive points on just three occasions during the frame. The Hawks wound up taking the set, 25-16.
 
Simmons paced the Cardinal attack with 11 kills and a .348 hitting percentage, while Coon distributed 37 assists. Defensively, Grotjohn, sophomore libero Bryanne Yasui (Honolulu, Hawaii/Moanalua) and Pascal offered up 13, 12 and 11 digs, respectively, while Simmons had three block assists.
 
For New Paltz, Herasme ignited the visitors' offense to the tune of a .571 hitting percentage on 17 kills and one error in 28 total attempts. Junior outside hitter Taylor Cimillo and freshman outside hitter Julie Greenspan floored 15 and 17 kills, respectively, while senior setter Maddie Zwickl dished out 54 assists. Senior libero Veronica Matedero posted a match-high 21 digs, while Cimillo completed the double-double with 13 digs.