GENESEO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's volleyball team dropped a pair of State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) matches on Saturday afternoon during pool-play action at SUNY Geneseo's Schrader Gymnasium. The Cardinals fell, 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-10), to SUNY Cortland before dropping a 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-15) decision to Buffalo State.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 6-15 overall (0-6 SUNYAC) with the losses and next visits Skidmore College on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Cortland rises to 8-11 overall (2-3 SUNYAC) with the win, while Buffalo State climbs to 5-15 overall (1-4 SUNYAC) with the victory.
 
Cortland 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-10)
 
Cortland assembled a .267 hitting percentage to come away with the straight-set win in the first match of the day and also outgained Plattsburgh State in service aces (6-2), blocks (12-3) and digs (55-45).
 
The two teams fought back and forth early on in the first set, but Cortland went on a 6-1 tear to break open a 17-11 lead. That proved to be the spark the Red Dragons needed to pull out a 25-14 victory in the first.
 
While Cortland jumped out to an 11-8 lead in the second, Plattsburgh State scored four unanswered points, and a Red Dragon attacking error gave the Cardinals a 12-11 advantage. The two teams traded points until Cortland won four straight rallies to stake itself to a 19-15 edge. Plattsburgh State responded with points on a Red Dragon attacking error and a service ace by senior right side Lexi Pascal (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) before Cortland closed the set on a 6-1 run to win the set, 25-18.
 
Plattsburgh State hung tough with Cortland for the first few points of the third set and took a 4-3 lead on the strength of three kills by freshman middle hitter/right side Michelle Simmons (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) and a kill by Pascal. Cortland retaliated with five consecutive points and never looked back, winning the third, 25-10.
 
Simmons led the Cardinal attack with 10 kills and a .294 hitting percentage, while sophomore right side/setter Brianna Coon (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) dished out 18 assists. Sophomore libero Bryanne Yasui (Honolulu, Hawaii/Monalua) and freshman defensive specialist Abby Bone (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) defended 13 and 12 digs, respectively, to pace the defense.
 
For Cortland, sophomore outside hitter/right side Nadia Moore hit .769 with 10 kills and no errors in 13 total attempts, while sophomore setter Gabby Amelio distributed 32 assists. Defensively, junior libero Alexandra Graff defended 20 digs, while freshman middle hitter/right side Bridgette Moran totaled five blocks (two solo, three assist).
 
Buffalo State 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-15)
 
Plattsburgh State played Buffalo State tough, but the Bengals wound up prevailing due to holding advantages in hitting percentage (.198-.027), service aces (7-2), blocks (13-3) and digs (54-52).
 
Back-and-forth play defined the early stages of the first set, but Buffalo State went on a 6-1 surge to take a 16-10 lead. Plattsburgh State battled back with a 4-1 run and drew within four at 20-16 after a Simmons service ace. After each team sided each other out, the Bengals closed the frame with four unanswered points to take the first, 25-17.
 
Once again, the two teams went point for point early in the second set, but Buffalo State scored six straight points to construct a 16-10 cushion. The Cardinals were unable to seize the momentum from that point forward and fell, 25-16, in the set.
 
In the third, Buffalo State broke the set open with a 17-3 surge, which was stopped with a kill by Simmons. Plattsburgh State did show resilience in controlling the momentum during the latter portion of the set, as it scored four unanswered points with kills by sophomore outside hitter/right side Hunter Grotjohn (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) and Simmons, a Bengal attacking error and a solo block by sophomore middle hitter/right side Dani Borunda (Salt Lake City, Utah/West), but the Bengals rattled off three straight points to go up, 22-8. The Cardinals then staged a 7-1 spurt, and a pair of Grotjohn terminations cut the gap to eight at 23-15. Buffalo State clinched the match by scoring the next two points, however, and won the third set, 25-15.
 
Grotjohn ignited the Plattsburgh State attack with 14 kills and a .324 (14-2-37) hitting percentage, while Yasui posted a double-double with 25 assists and 14 digs. Bone added 13 digs to help reinforce the back row.
 
For Buffalo State, sophomore middle hitter/outside hitter Lauren Hansen led the way with 11 kills, while freshman setter/right side Alyssa Durski doled out 24 assists and added 17 digs to complete the double-double. Sophomore right side Maria Gelyon was a force at the net with eight total blocks (one solo, seven assist).