ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta women's volleyball team opened the 2024 campaign with a 3-0 sweep over Mount Saint Mary (N.Y.) on the first day of the Red Dragon Invitational on Friday evening. The Red Dragons took the first set 25-15, the second 25-17, and the third 25-15. Freshman McKenna Law (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) led the way with 12 kills on .364 hitting, while sophomore added ten kills with a .643 hitting percentage.
The Knights cut the Oneonta lead to 8-7 in the first set before the Red Dragons rattled off a 6-0 run. Two kills from junior Katie Spano (Dryden, NY/Dryden) pushed Oneonta ahead 15-8, and then junior Sabrina Squicciarini (Manorville, NY/St. Anthony's) sent in a kill to take a six-point lead. The Knights pulled within five following a kill from Julianna Simone, but a 5-0 run with two kills from sophomore Keira Welsh (Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford High School) and an Abigail Harper (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) ace made it 24-14. Moretta sent in the set-winning kill to go ahead 1-0.
The Knights responded in the second set by taking a 6-2 lead. Harper capped off a 3-0 Oneonta span with an ace to cut the lead to one. Mount Saint Mary held a 10-9 advantage before a pair of kills from Spano and Law and a Hailey Herrera (Brooklyn, NY/) ace put the Red Dragons up by two. Four different Red Dragons knocked in kills on a 4-0 run to push the lead to 17-12. Oneonta followed up with a 5-0 run comprised of two kills from Morretta to lead 23-14. Oneonta sealed the set with a Law kill.
The Red Dragons jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the third, with Law knocking in three more kills. A Welsh service ace extended the lead to 13-6, and another 5-0 Oneonta run gave the hosts an 11-point advantage. It was Law again in the end with the set-winning kill.
Spano added nine kills on a .692 hitting percentage, while Welsh tacked on eight kills and two aces. Junior Anna Moller (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach Senior High School) recorded a match-high 21 digs, while Herrera made 37 assists.
Simone led the Knights with nine kills, while Jonaiya Williams added eight. Isabella Israel grabbed ten digs, and Sofia Fredericks had 24 assists.
Oneonta continues the Red Dragon Invitational on Saturday, August 31, with matches against Utica (11 a.m.) and Western New England (1 p.m.).
