PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team extended its winning streak to six matches with a straight set victory over Buffalo State in non-conference action on Wednesday night 25-19, 25-15, 25-19. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 14-9 overall, while the Bengals fall to 3-18 on the year.
It was all Fisher from the opening whistle, as the Cardinal offense came out swinging, notching 17 kills in the first set with a hitting percentage of .316 on 38 attempts.
Fisher stormed out to an early 13-7 lead, with the help of four three-point scoring runs and a total of 10 quick kills. The Cardinals kept the pressure on Buffalo State throughout the entire first set and did not allow the Bengals to generate any momentum en route to a first set win.
The second set featured back-and-forth action from both teams until the scoreboard read 5-5. However, Fisher gained control from there and rattled off a five-point scoring run led by
Izzy Smith from the service line followed by a six-point run that featured two service aces from
Julia Halsey.
After the Bengals fought their way back to within four, the Cardinals finished off the second set with a 7-1 run fueled by two kills from both
Alex Buhrle and
Bernadette Nichols.
The Cardinals battled their way through the final set and were able to use five service aces in the third set to take the match in straight sets.
Molly Taylor handled the setting duties in the third set, finishing with 13 assists and two service aces.
Alea Steigerwald, the reigning Empire 8 Co-Player/Rookie of the week led the way with a game-high 16 kills, 16 digs, and a hitting percentage of .344. Nichols and Smith each finished the match with nine kills, while Buhrle,
Rebecca Hay, and
Emily Risch each added four kills.
Hay handled the setting duties in the first two sets, totaling 26 assists and six digs, while
Elise Kreuz posted 13 digs from the libero spot.
The Cardinals are back in action on Friday at 5 p.m., when they travel to Oswego to compete in three matches at the Oswego Invitational, starting with the host, Oswego State.
