MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly women's volleyball team secured another split on day two of the SUNY Morrisville Invitational. The Wildcats opened their day with a 3-1 win over the Thomas College Terriers before dropping game two against the Alfred State Pioneers, 3-0.
GAME ONE: SUNY Poly vs. Thomas College
The opening set was a tightly contested battle, with neither team able to gain a significant edge. SUNY Poly saw early contributions from Abby Newell and Kassity Cruz. Teagan Hopkins connected with Cruz for a kill that tied the score at 20, and from there, the Wildcats surged. A critical sequence came late, with Catherine McCourt serving up a clutch ace to tie things at 23. Daniella Aluisio then struck with a kill off a Southwick assist to bring the Wildcats to set point, and another kill from Cruz sealed the comeback win, 25-23.
Strong play from Teagan Hopkins, Aluisio, Erica Mumbulo, and Newell across the front line helped the Wildcats build a solid lead midway through the second set. Late kills by Newell and Avery Droszd capped off a composed effort, giving SUNY Poly a 25-20 win and a 2–0 match lead.
The third set saw a shift in momentum as Thomas found its rhythm and pushed back hard against the Wildcats. Despite a strong start featuring kills from Abby Newell and Avery Droszd, the Terriers chipped away at SUNY Poly's lead and took advantage of a few costly service errors. Down 20-18, the Wildcats battled back to tie it at 23 behind a kill from Aluisio. However, a service ace sealed a 25-23 set victory for the Terriers.
Responding to the third-set loss with renewed intensity, SUNY Poly opened the fourth set with a dominant service run from Kylee DeCarr that included two aces. Freshmen Olivia Maynard and Lilly Hargarther made key contributions off the bench, and a service ace from Cruz helped close the Terriers out, giving the Wildcats a convincing 25-8 win to secure the match.
GAME TWO: SUNY Poly vs. Alfred State
The Wildcats fell behind early in the first set, allowing the Pioneers to build a lead as large as 8-2. SUNY Poly responded with a late push, highlighted by a run that included an ace from Samantha Dee and kills from Abby Newell and Erica Mumbulo. The Wildcats couldn't close the gap enough, losing the set 25-19.
SUNY Poly continued to battle in set two, finding offensive rhythm through Newell, Cruz, and Southwick, who each contributed timely kills. Despite the back-and-forth nature of the set, SUNY Poly struggled to finish long rallies and saw several opportunities slip away due to attack errors. The Wildcats managed to reach 20 points, but a couple of late miscues gave Alfred State just enough breathing room to pull away and take the set, 25–20.
Set three was another tightly contested frame, with SUNY Poly continuing to show grit on the road. Droszd provided a spark off the bench, while Mumbulo and Maynard added a pair of kills to keep the pressure on. Defensively, the Wildcats made adjustments and challenged Alfred State's hitters at the net, forcing more errors than in previous sets. A late kill from Newell and a service ace brought SUNY Poly within a few points, but the Pioneers capitalized on a late error to take the final frame by the same 25–20 margin.
