 |  |
Cortland Outlasted by Elmira in Five-Set Battle
Story Courtesy of the Cortland Athletics Site
CORTLAND, N.Y. – Sophomore Sasha Zavadska (Bratislava,
Slovakia/The British School) and senior Chelsea Needham
(Middletown) recorded 21 and 20 kills, respectively, as the Elmira
women’s volleyball team outlasted Cortland, 3-2, in a
five-set non-conference dual match. Set scores, from Elmira’s
perspective, were 21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21 and 15-11.
Juniors Ashley Coyle (Mt. Hope/Minisink Valley) and Kaitlyn Cooper
(Webster/Webster Schroeder) each finished with career-high kill
totals for Cortland (20-6). Coyle totaled 23 kills along with 17
digs and three blocks. Cooper had 17 kills and six blocks.
In addition, sophomore Katie Wick (Cortland/Homer) finished with
10 kills and 12 digs and junior Sheena Asibey (Brentwood) had nine
kills and three blocks for the Red Dragons, who played their first
five-set match of the season. Sophomore Kristen Guercio
(Smithtown/Smithtown East) dished out 56 assists and junior Jaclyn
Lawrence (Marilla/Iroquois Central) shared the team lead with Coyle
with 17 digs.
Needham added four aces to her 20-kill performance for the Soaring
Eagles (15-5). Junior Brittany Raykoske (Johnstown/Gloversville)
contributed 14 kills and three blocks to the winning cause, senior
Tesia Kaczynski (Mansfield, PA) had 37 assists and freshman Alysha
LaDuke (Livonia) amassed 12 digs.
The key sequence in Cortland’s first-set win came when the
Red Dragons scored four straight points to turn a 17-14 deficit
into an 18-17 lead. Down 22-19, Elmira got back to within one on
kills by Needham and Raykoske, but the Red Dragons scored the last
three points on a service error and kills by Guercio and Coyle.
Cortland led 9-5 in the second set before the Soaring Eagles
rattled off nine straight points, including two Kaczynski aces and
two kills each by Taryn Rumsey (Mansfield, PA) and Zavadska.
Cortland never caught Elmira in the set, but was within 23-22 after
a Cooper kill. Zavadska responded with a kill for Elmira, but
another Cooper kill kept Cortland within 24-23. Rumsey’s kill
finished the set.
Elmira led 13-7 in the third, but Cortland clawed back and
eventually used a 4-0 run, with two Coyle kills, to tie the set at
18-18. With the set tied at 23-23, Cortland tallied the final two
points on an Asibey kill and a Coyle ace to win 25-23.
The teams were tied 14 times in the fourth set, including 12
deadlocks leading to an early 13-13 tie. Cortland trailed 17-14
after an Abbie Martin (Broadalbin/Broadalbin-Perth) kill for
Elmira, but Coyle recorded four straight kills, then teamed with
Asibey for a block, and Cortland led 19-17. Elmira, however, scored
the next five points – two on Raykoske kills and one on a
Needham kill – and retook the lead at 22-19. Coyle put down
the next two kills to cut Elmira’s lead to 22-21, but the
Soaring Eagles finished the set with kills by Needham, Raykoske and
Zavadska.
Elmira scored seven straight points in the fifth set to turn a 6-6
tie into a 13-6 advantage. Zavadska had two kills and an ace and
Needham added two kills during the decisive run. Cortland fought
back with four straight points to close within 13-10, but an error
gave Elmira match point. Coyle’s kill briefly kept Cortland
alive, but Needham’s kill finished the match.
Cortland will play at the Salisbury University tournament in
Maryland on Saturday and Sunday. The Red Dragons will face Nazareth
and Salisbury on Saturday evening and Central (Iowa) and Stockton
(N.J.). on Sunday.
