BOX SCORE

The St. John Fisher College volleyball team was defeated by No. 2 seed Nazareth College 3-0 on Saturday in its opening match of the Empire 8 Conference Championship. With the loss, the Cardinals were eliminated from the Conference Championship, but will await the selection committee for a berth into the NCAA or ECAC Championships.

The Cardinals, who claimed the No. 3 seed with a 6-2 mark in-conference this season, jumped out to a 4-2 lead to open the first game. The Golden Flyers won nine of the game's next 10 points, but Fisher pulled to within five (19-14) on four consecutive Nazareth errors. It wasn't enough though, as Nazareth went on a 6-3 run to close out the game.

Fisher held an early 3-0 lead in the second game, but Nazareth stormed back yet again, taking control with 5-0 and 4-0 runs late in the game for a six-point advantage (17-11) that would hold up for the win.

The Golden Flyers sealed the victory with a pair of 3-point runs and a 4-point run in the final game for a 25-19 decision.

Freshman Kelsey Chappell totaled a career-high 11 digs, while Sydney Kandefer and Kayleigh Cassetta each recorded a team-best six blocks.  Elaina Braun handed out 12 assists, with Alyssa Ziobrowski adding eight kills in the loss.