ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Oneonta women's volleyball team battled through a challenging Saturday slate at Dewar Arena, falling to Montclair State in three sets before pushing the University of Rochester to five sets in an afternoon contest. The Red Dragons move to 1-4 on the season after facing two teams that improved to a combined 6-1 on the day.
Match Results
- Montclair State def. SUNY Oneonta, 31-29, 26-24, 25-17
- Rochester def. SUNY Oneonta, 23-25, 25-16, 17-25, 25-19, 15-11
In the morning match, Oneonta nearly captured the opening set against Montclair State before dropping a tightly contested 31-29 decision. The Red Dragons also had the second set within reach before falling 26-24, and the Red Hawks completed the sweep with a 25-17 third-set victory.
Junior outside hitter Corynna Manjos (Maplewood, NJ/Columbia) paced the Oneonta offense with a match-high 13 kills while adding five digs. Senior Emma Morretta (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) was highly efficient offensively, recording seven kills on 12 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. Junior Shea Landversicht (Greenville, NY/Greenville) contributed six kills and was a force at the net with four total blocks. Junior setter Hailey Herrera (Brooklyn, NY/Park Slope Collegiate) directed the attack with 12 assists and added two service aces.
The Red Dragons returned to the court in the afternoon and delivered one of their strongest performances of the season against Rochester. Oneonta captured the opening set 25-23 and later claimed the third set 25-17 to build momentum, but Rochester rallied to win the second and fourth sets before edging the Red Dragons 15-11 in the deciding fifth set.
Manjos again led the offense with 12 kills and added eight digs. Landversicht matched her with 12 kills while posting a .417 hitting percentage and four block assists. Morretta added five kills and four total blocks, while freshman Carsen Rittberger (Huntington, NY/Harborfields) chipped in five kills and five total blocks.
Herrera and junior Layla Pertchik (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) combined to guide the offense with 21 and 13 assists, respectively. Defensively, libero Lillian Slattery (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) recorded 15 digs, and sophomore Cadence Meltz (Highland, NY/Highland) added 17 digs to help Oneonta stay within striking distance throughout the five-set battle.
Despite the losses, the Red Dragons showed resilience throughout the day, playing eight total sets and forcing Rochester into a fifth-set tiebreak after taking two sets from the Yellowjackets.
Oneonta returns to action on Wednesday, September 9 to host Marywood at 6 p.m.
