ALBANY, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to five matches on Saturday afternoon, winning two consecutive Empire 8 Conference matches over Alfred University and The Sage Colleges. With the victories, the Cardinals improve to 13-9 overall and 6-1 in the Empire 8, while the Saxons fall to 2-16 overall and the Gators move to 5-15 overall.

Fisher came out to a hot start to the day, taking down Alfred in straight sets 25-18, 26-24, 25-15. The Cardinals as a team hit .229 percent throughout the match, which included 17 kills in the first set.

The Cardinals hot start was fueled by early four and five point scoring runs, giving them an early 15-9 advantage. Both Alea Steigerwald and Bernadette Nichols tallied four kills apiece early on in the first set against the Saxons. Fisher maintained the momentum throughout the first set, pulling away with the help of another five-point scoring run, led by Elise Kreuz from the service line.

Back-and-forth action was seen for the majority of the second set between the two sides, as each team traded scoring runs, eventually leading to an 18-17 Fisher lead.   

The Cardinals would then go on the offensive, scoring five of the next six points, to take a late 23-18 lead. However the Saxons battled back, once again making it a one-point game. But the Cardinal offense turned out to be the difference maker, as Izzy Smith gave Fisher the second set victory with a service ace.

Moving into the third set, it was all Fisher from the opening whistle, as the Cardinals continued its momentum. The Cardinals finished off the Saxons in the third set, hitting a combined .229 percent in the final set with 12 total kills.

Steigerwald led the way in the first match with 17 kills, while Nichols finished with 13 kills and Smith added seven. Rebecca Hay handled the setting duties, notching a game-high 36 assists, while Julia Halsey led the way defensively with 15 digs.

The Cardinals continued their winning way in their second match of the day, taking down Sage on its home floor in four sets 20-25, 25-12, 25-12, 25-10.

After dropping the first set, Fisher regained its momentum and stormed out in the second set to an 18-6 lead. Hay led a seven-point Cardinal run from the service line, which included three service aces and two Steigerwald kills. Another five-point Fisher run lead by Steigerwald from the service line this time around, was more than enough to lead Fisher to a second set victory.

Much like the second set, it was all Fisher from the start, as the Cardinals notched a season-high hitting percentage of .407 in the third set, with 14 kills and only three errors.

Nichols was the offensive leader in the third set win, totaling six kills in the third set alone, while Olivia Levulis put away another four kills.

The Cardinals never looked back from there, as they took home their fifth consecutive victory. Steigerwald started off the fourth set with three straight kills. From there, Fisher held the momentum and Kreuz was able to lead a 9-0 run with four service aces, to end the match in favor of the Cardinals.

Steigerwald again led the way offensively, finishing with a game-high 16 kills to go along with 16 digs and three service aces. Nichols added 14 kills, while Hay added another 34 assists to her season total. Kreuz led the way defensively with a team-high 19 digs, as well as a season-high eight service aces.

The Cardinals are back in action on Tuesday at 7 p.m., when they welcome Buffalo State to Manning and Napier Gymnasium for a non-conference matchup.