PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Two Red Dragons recorded double-digit kills as the Oneonta women's volleyball team picked up its first SUNYAC win. Junior Ashanti Davis (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) and fifth-year Clara Culeton (Oswego, NY/Oswego) each had ten kills as Oneonta (6-7, 1-3 SUNYAC) defeated Plattsburgh (4-8, 0-3 SUNYAC) in four sets on Friday evening. The Red Dragons fell 25-22 in the first set and won the following three, 25-21, 25-13, and 25-17.
Oneonta fell behind 6-3 in the first set before junior Isabella Fabrizio (Highland Mills, NY/Cornwall), and then a Cardinals' attack error cut the lead to one point. Plattsburgh continued to hold its lead before Davis, and sophomore Annalisa Alicea (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington) sent in kills to tie 8-8. The Cardinals retook the lead, but sophomore Caitlin Christie (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) recorded a kill, and then Alicea knocked in an ace to make it 10-10. The Red Dragons kept the set close and kills by senior Casey Biggers (Holtsville, NY/Sachem East), and Christie put Oneonta behind one at 21-20. Plattsburgh scored the following three points to lead 24-20, and then an Oneonta service error gave a set point.
The Red Dragons capitalized on some Cardinals' errors to take an 8-3 lead in the second. Plattsburgh went on a 3-0 run before Fabrizio had a kill, and Alicea tallied two straight aces to go ahead 11-6. A 6-0 Oneonta span comprised of two Fabrizio aces and kills by senior Kayla Rende (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) and junior Karli Chamberlein put the Red Dragons up 18-8. Another kill by Chamberlein pushed the lead to 23-11, but Plattsburgh went on a 10-1 run to make it 24-21. Davis ended the comeback, scoring the set-winning kill.
A 3-0 Oneonta run gave the Red Dragons a 9-2 lead in the third to force a Cardinals' timeout. A kill by Biggers and then a Plattsburgh error made it 11-4. Oneonta built its lead to 22-12 after Rende and Davis blocked an attack attempt from Jenn Braun. The Red Dragons then scored the final three points with a kill from Davis and an ace by Chamberlein.
After the fourth set was tied 16-16, Oneonta scored the following three points. A Red Dragons' error made it 19-17, but Oneonta closed out on a 6-0 run with three kills and an ace by Biggers.
Davis hit .350 and added three total blocks, while Culeton struck at .231 percent. Fabrizio added eight kills (.333) with three aces and seven digs. Alicea tallied a team-high five aces with 15 digs, and Chamberlein grabbed a career-high 16 digs and six kills. Rende topped the team with 38 assists and had six digs.
Oneonta is back in action tomorrow to face Potsdam at noon and Clarkson at 3 p.m. in Potsdam, NY.
