PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Senior setter Reilly Morrow and senior libero Kiera Hartpence produced double-doubles as the top-seeded St. John Fisher women's volleyball team earned a hard-fought sweep over No. 4-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals on Wednesday night at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. 

The Cardinals (28-1) will host No. 2-seeded Hartwick at 1 p.m. on Saturday in their sixth appearance in the conference title game. They have won five Empire 8 championships since 2019, including three of the last four. 

Fisher pushed its winning streak to 28 matches, won its 20th straight match against a conference opponent and improved to 37-2 since a four-set loss to Nazareth last October with Wednesday's victory. 

Morrow dished out 30 assists and amassed a career-high 20 digs as part of her eighth double-double of the season. Hartpence notched just the third double-double of her collegiate career, recording a season-high 10 assists with 13 digs. 

Freshman outside hitter Kalyna Dannenberg had the hot hand for the Cardinals offensively, matching her season-high with 16 kills while hitting .361. She also had two blocks as part of an 18-point night. 

How It Happened 

The Knights hung tough in the first set, but the Cardinals pulled away late with a 7-3 run to secure a 25-20 victory. Dannenberg slammed five kills and hit .571 in the opening frame, while junior outside hitter Kaylene Noble had four kills and hit .667.

A plucky Geneseo team made Fisher work even harder in the second set, leading by as many as five at various points and by four, 20-16, down the stretch. The Cardinals, though, once again showed championship grit, going on a 9-1 run to close out a 25-21 victory. Dannenberg and sophomore outside hitter Lydia Fraser each had a pair of kills during that stretch. 

Dannenberg finished the second set with six kills on a .294 hitting percentage. Morrow had 10 assists and eight digs in the frame. 

The Cardinals rode the momentum they generated at the end of the second set into the third, completing the sweep with a 25-17 victory. They slammed 14 kills and hit a match-high .344 as a team, with Dannenberg leading the way with five kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Fraser added four and hit .250. 

Match Notes

• The Cardinals improved to 13-3 in Empire 8 Tournament games since 2017. 

• The Cardinals improved to 13-11 all-time in Empire 8 Tournament games. 

• The Cardinals own the second-longest active winning streak in Division III and all NCAA levels. East Texas Baptist (29 matches) holds the longest streak. 

• The Cardinals' 28-match winning streak is the longest in program history during the rally scoring era (2001-present). 

• The Cardinals have 23 sweeps this season, the most in program history during the rally scoring era.

• Dannenberg has had 15 or more kills in three matches this season. 

• Noble finished the match with 11 kills on a .250 hitting percentage. She also had two block solos and a service ace as part of a 14-point night. 

• Fraser finished with nine kills. 

• Hartpence and Morrow also aced two serves apiece. 

• Senior Madalyn Bouton had three kills and two blocks while accounting for 4.5 points. 

Up Next

The Cardinals will look to win their sixth conference championship with a win over Hartwick on Saturday at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. It will be a rematch of the 2022 E8 title game, which Fisher claimed in four sets.