PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College women's volleyball team knocked off Houghton College by a score of three sets to one (23-25, 25-16, 26-24, 25-21) on Friday night at Manning and Napier Varsity Gym. The win moves the Empire 8-leading Cardinals to a 15-6 overall record and 4-0 in conference play. The Highlanders, winners of their last seven heading into tonight, fall to 14-4 and 2-1 against E8 opponents.

Sophomore Alea Steigerwald brought her A-game with 27 kills and a .479 hitting percentage in the game, the Penfield native's second-highest total kills in a game this year. Junior Rebecca Hay put up 46 assists, her second-highest total in a game this season while also surpassing two thousand career assists.

The Cardinals had to work from behind for most of the opening set. Hay set up Steigerwald for a kill to cut the lead to 10-6 while also hitting the two thousandth assist mark. Fisher went on six-point run to lead, 12-11. It then led 22-20 later in the stanza but the Houghton closed out the set on a 5-1 run to take the first.

Fisher got right to work in the second set. At five-all, a six-point streak propelled the Cardinals into a commanding lead that they would not relinquish. Four points won in a row put them on the doorstep at 24-13. Hay would then set up freshman Lindsey DeBonis for the set-winning point.

It was a set of runs in the third with both teams getting out to multiple point leads only for other team to come back. Houghton held a one-point advantage at 23-22 with serve, however, Steigerwald came away with a big kill to tie it up. The ball was in the sophomore's hands as she came up to serve on the following point and she blasted one past the Highlanders for an ace and to put Fisher up, 24-23. After Houghton tied it up, the Cardinals would win back-to-back points to earn the close-set victory and go up two sets to one.

Houghton would fight tooth and nail with Fisher in the final set. The Cardinals were down, 12-8 but went on a 6-1 run to take a 14-13 advantage. A 4-0 run put Fisher in the driver's seat at 18-14. The Highlanders cut the deficit to 23-21 but a service error would give the Cardinals an opportunity at match point. On the first chance, DeBonis aced one to earn the win.

DeBonis had a team-high 13 digs for the Cardinals. Five different Fisher players earned service aces in the game. Hay now has 2,043 career assists. The junior ranks sixth all-time in program history.

The Cardinals face another conference opponent, this time on the road against Alfred at 3 p.m. on Saturday.