ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Oneonta women's volleyball team cruised past Russell Sage for a 3-0 sweep, Friday evening on the first day of the Russell Sage/Union Crosstown Challenge. Oneonta overwhelmed Sage in the first set for a 25-16 victory, then they kept the momentum going for a 25-20 final in sets two and three. The win improved the Red Dragons record to 2-5 this season and the Gators fell to 2-2 overall.
Oneonta had seniors
Emma Morretta (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac),
Keira Welsh (Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford), and sophomore
Corynna Manjos (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) lead the team with six kills in the match. Morretta also totaled 2.5 blocks, Welsh had 1.0 total block, while Manjos recorded three aces. Junior
Shea Landversicht (Greenville, NY/Greenville) finished with three kills, two aces, and 3.0 total blocks, and sophomore
Lily Pugliese (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay) had five kills and totaled 1.5 blocks.
The teams traded points with one another in the first set as Sage went ahead 11-10 with an ace. Oneonta responded back with a 7-2 run where Manjos and Landversicht combined for three aces and Welsh totaled a block to go up 17-13. After scoring a point off a Gator service error, the Red Dragons closed out the set with a 7-1 rally for the 25-16 win. The final stretch included a kill from Welsh, Morretta, and freshman
Carsen Rittberger (Huntington, NY/Harborfields), who finished the match with two kills and 2.5 total blocks.
Manjos, Landversicht and Pugliese each spiked the ball for a kill to start the second set, however Sage's Emily Trama answered all three with a kill herself as the host team held an 8-7 edge. With the match tied at 11, the Red Dragons recorded four straight points with a Manjos ace and kills from Pugliese and Welsh. Sage cut their deficit to one, then Oneonta rallied for five straight points to go up 20-14. Again, the Gators made it a one-point game, 21-20, before the Red Dragons closed out the set with four straight points, which included a Morretta and Manjos kill and an ace from sophomore
Cadence Meltz (Highland, NY/Highland).
Oneonta built a 9-2 lead to start the third set after Manjos and Welsh each recorded two kills, while Landversicht totaled a block and Pugliese smacked in a kill. Sage trimmed the deficit to four before Oneonta sparked another 7-2 rally, with a pair of aces from Meltz and one from junior
Hailey Herrera (Brooklyn, NY/Park Slope Collegiate), for a 17-8 lead. Sage did not go away quietly, and they went on an 8-3 run to make it a 20-16 game. The Red Dragons kept the Gators at bay for the remainder of the set as Morretta closed out the match with a pair of kills for the team's final two points.
Sophomore
Layla Pertchik (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) finished with the team-high 13 assists with a kill. Herrera had 12 assists with an ace, and Meltz totaled three aces and seven digs in the win.
Sage was led by Trama and Paige Kemmer, both finished with the game-high nine kills. Cassidy Weiher totaled five kills for the Gators.
Oneonta will finish up the Russell Sage/Union Crosstown Challenge on Saturday, September 12, at Union. The Red Dragons face Alfred State to start the day at 1 pm, then they will compete against Union at 3 pm.
