The St. John Fisher College volleyball team defeated Utica College in its opening match Saturday before falling in straight sets to the Nazareth College Golden Flyers at the Empire 8 Crossover.

With the split, the Cardinals move to 3-4 in the Empire 8 standings.  As Fisher currently sits in a tie with Hartwick for the final spot in the upcoming Empire 8 Championships, the seed would go to the team with the better head-to-head record.  As Hartwick defeated the Cardinals earlier in the season, Fisher's run at a postseason comes up just short. 

UTICA BOX

In its first game, the Cardinals played to a 3-1 win over the Utica Pioneers as Rachael Kline clubbed 19 kills to move into ninth place on Fisher's all-time kills list with.

After exchanging wins in the first two sets, The Cardinals eventually pulled away from the Pioneers scoring seven unanswered points to hold a 22-14 advantage.  Utica tried to keep it close, but the Cardinals held on for the win to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth set.
In what turned out to be the final frame, Fisher turned up the heat, scoring seven consecutive points including a pair of service aces from Brooke Meader.  After three quick points by Utica, Fisher would respond with another run, producing seven more points en route to a 25-14 win.

NAZARETH BOX

In the second game, Fisher matched up with the host team, Nazareth College.  The Cardinals battled, but were unable to gain any momentum as the home team won the contest in straight sets, 19-25, 18-25, 18-25.

Kline had a combined 21 kills on the day including 19 in the win against Utica to go along with six digs.  Paige Willson picked up 16 combined kills, while Andrea Gillespie dug up 17 balls.  Erica Stickler had a fine day, posting 28 assists and Ali Mann tallied 30 helpers over the two game span.

Fisher will return to action at 10 a.m. on Saturday against Potsdam.  The Cardinals will also face SUNY Geneseo at 4 p.m. as part of a tri-match.