HOBOKEN, N.J. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team fell to Nazareth College in the Empire 8 Conference semi-finals on Saturday afternoon at Stevens Institute of Technology in four sets 15-25, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25. With the loss, the Cardinals conclude their 2018 season with a 17-16 overall record, while the Golden Flyers advance and will take on Stevens on Sunday for an Empire 8 Conference Championship.
Olivia Levulis got the Fisher offense started in the semi-final matchup, with a kill on the Cardinals' first swing of the game. From there, the Golden Flyers opened a 6-2 scoring run with a pair of kills around the Cardinal block. However, a service ace from
Bernadette Nichols brought the Cardinals back to within two points early in the first set.
Nazareth was able to hold control for the remainder of the first set, using 12 kills compared to the seven for Fisher to take the first set victory.
Fisher fought back in the second set, using a late 7-2 scoring run led by kills from
Alea Steigerwald and
Izzy Smith to cut the Nazareth lead to 22-19. From there, both sides traded points back-and-forth until a Cardinal attack error awarded the second set to the Golden Flyers.
The Cardinals battled their way back in the third set, jumping out to a quick 6-3 advantage with the help of two Smith kills. From there, Nazareth jumped on a scoring run of its own, re-taking a 10-6 lead.
Following a Fisher timeout, the Cardinals would use the momentum of
Mikhala Martens at the service line to reclaim a 15-12 lead midway through the third set. The Cardinals were able to keep the pressure on, as Steigerwald put away three more kills, giving Fisher the third set victory.
Much like the previous two sets, both sides continued to trade scoring runs for much of the fourth set. Fisher was able to gain the late 23-22 advantage from a Steigerwald kill, however, Nazareth would use a timeout and from there score the final three points of the match.
Steigerwald led the way with a game-high 22 kills and 21 digs, while Smith added 10 kills.
Rebecca Hay handled the setting duties posting 36 assists, with senior
Elise Kreuz finishing with 20 digs in the four-set match.