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ALBANY, N.Y. - The Oneonta women's volleyball team swept Sage 3-0 in the opening match of Saturday's Interleague Invitational but then fell 3-0 to Misericordia in the second match to record the split.
The Red Dragons (5-5) dismantled the Gators (2-11) 25-6 in the first set after holding Sage to a negative hitting percentage. Sage took the first point, and then Oneonta used a kill from senior Casey Biggers (Holtsville, NY/Sachem East) and an Annalisa Alicea (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) service ace to go ahead 3-1. After the Gators took the following point, first-year Anna Moller (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach Senior) tallied a kill that spurred a 16-0 run where senior Clara Culeton (Oswego, NY/Oswego) had five service aces. Sage responded with a 4-0 span to make it 19-6, but Oneonta capped off the ensuing 6-0 run with kills by juniors Isabella Fabrizio (Highland Mills, NY/Cornwall) and Ashanti Davis (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson).
Oneonta handled the second set with a 25-14 victory. After the Gators' Celia Ganon used a kill to cut the lead to 10-9, junior Caitlin Christie (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) sent in three consecutive aces to push the Red Dragons' lead to 14-9. A bad Oneonta set made it a seven-point game, but another run pushed the Red Dragons ahead 23-11. Christie then sent in the set-winning kill.
After trailing 6-0 in the third, Oneonta chipped its way back in. The Gators continued to hold a 10-5 advantage before the Red Dragons rattled off a 5-0 run with two kills and a block from first-year Gianna May (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville). Seven ties followed, and with the set tied 18-18, first-year Mikayla Kendrick (Nassau, NY/Columbia) and May recorded kills to take a 21-18 lead. Sage cut the lead to one before Oneonta closed out on a 4-0 run, with Biggers scoring the final kill.
Culeton finished with eight kills, five aces, and one block. Biggers added eight kills, while May recorded a career-high seven kills, eight digs, and two blocks. Layla Alt (Shullsburg, WI/Shullsburg) dished out 21 assists and Anna Moller (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach Senior) had nine digs.
Misericordia flipped the script in the second match and won 25-14, 25-13, and 26-24. The Cougars jumped ahead 8-2 in the first before a kill by junior Karli Chamberlein started a 3-0 run. Oneonta remained within striking distance, and an ace by Alicea cut the lead to 14-11. A 7-0 Misericordia run followed as the Cougars cruised to the opening set win.
An early Misericordia run put the Cougars up 10-4. Fabrizio and Davis blocked a Fiona Pyfer attempt, and then two aces from Alicea made it a one-point game. The teams traded runs, and Alt recorded an ace to cut the deficit to 17-14. Misericordia then closed out the set on an 8-0 run.
Ten ties were in the final set, and Oneonta used a 3-0 span with kills by Chamberlein and Davis to go up 20-18. Another kill by Culeton pushed the lead to 21-19, but the Cougars tied 22-22. A Misericordia error was followed by a kill from May to give the Red Dragons a 24-22 lead. Unfortunately, Misericordia scored the final four points on kill to complete the sweep.
Christie led the Red Dragons with eight kills, while Culeton had five. Alicea recorded three aces, and Sophia Gerace (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River) had 13 assists. Chamberlein and Alt both grabbed seven digs.
Oneonta begins SUNYAC play next when they travel to face Geneseo on Fri. Sept. 23 at 6 p.m.
