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St. John Fisher University Athletics

WVB
Abel Austin
0
Hartwick Hart 21-11,10-1 Empire 8
3
Winner St. John Fisher SJF 29-1,11-0 Empire 8
Hartwick Hart
21-11,10-1 Empire 8
0
Final
3
St. John Fisher SJF
29-1,11-0 Empire 8
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Hartwick Hart 18 18 18 (0)
St. John Fisher SJF 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Mike Hogan, Athletics Communications Coordinator

Women's Volleyball Claims Sixth E8 Title With Sweep Of Hartwick

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Junior outside hitter Kaylene Noble accounted for 20.5 points on 18 kills, two service aces and a block to lead the top-seeded St. John Fisher women's volleyball team to a sweep (25-18, 25-18, 25-18) of No. 2-seeded Hartwick in the Empire 8 Conference Championship game on Saturday at Manning & Napier Varsity Gym. 

The Cardinals (29-1), winners of 29 consecutive matches, claimed their sixth E8 title and second in a row with the victory. They will learn their opponent and host site for the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament on Monday. 

Hartwick, which also lost to Fisher in the 2022 E8 title match, ended its season 21-11 overall. 

Noble joined Alea Steigerwald (3x), Kiana Walker and teammate Ana Gutman as the fourth different player in program history to earn E8 Tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Over three matches in the tournament, she slammed 40 kills while hitting .317 and amassed 20 digs, three total blocks and three service aces. 

How It Happened

The Cardinals came out steaming, scoring seven of the first eight points behind three kills from E8 Rookie of the Year Kalyna Dannenberg, two from Gutman and one from Noble. Hartwick also committed an attacking error in the match-opening stretch. 

Hartwick scored five of the next six points to pull within two, 8-6, but the Cardinals quickly went on a 6-1 run to take a seven-point lead, 14-7. Fisher led comfortably the rest of the way, closing out a 25-18 win. 

Noble finished the opening frame with seven kills and a .417 hitting percentage. Dannenberg had five. 

Hartwick led by three (10-7) in the early stages of the second set, but the Cardinals once again got hot, going on a 5-0 run to take a 12-0 lead. Noble had a kill and a service ace, while Dannenberg and senior middle blocker Madalyn Bouton each had two block assists in that stretch. 

The teams went back and forth until Fisher separated with a 5-1 spurt to go ahead 21-16. The Cardinals soon after secured the second set, 25-18. 

Noble had seven more kills in the second frame and hit .333, while Dannenberg and Gutman chipped in with three and two kills, respectively. Senior setter and Empire 8 Player of the Year Reilly Morrow tallied nine assists. 

In the final frame, sophomore outside hitter Lydia Fraser slammed three kills and aced a serve during a 9-3 start for the Cardinals. The Hawks pulled within two twice – 10-8 and 12-10 – but never got any closer than that. 

Dannenberg slammed three straight kills to make it 15-10, and Fraser pounded another to put the Cardinals ahead by six, 16-10. 

Fisher scored four of the final five points in the match, securing the title on Noble's fourth kill of the set and 18th of the contest. Fraser had six points on four kills and two aces in the final frame, while Dannenberg had five kills while hitting .667. 

Match Notes (Team)

  • The Cardinals secured the seventh NCAA Tournament bid in program history and sixth under head coach Kelly Greapentrog. 

  • Fisher matched now-Liberty League member Ithaca for the second-most titles (6) in Empire 8 history. Nazareth has the most with eight. 

  • The Cardinals have won all six of their Empire 8 championships in the last seven seasons. 

  • With the victory, Fisher pushed its winning streak to 29 matches, won its 21st straight match against a conference opponent and improved to 38-2 in its last 40 contests. 

  • The Cardinals improved to 14-3 in Empire 8 Tournament games since 2017. 

  • The Cardinals improved to 14-11 all-time in Empire 8 Tournament games. 

  • The Cardinals' 29-match winning streak is the longest in program history during the rally scoring era (2001-present). 

  • The Cardinals own the second-longest active winning streak in all of the NCAA behind fellow DIII member East Texas Baptist (31 matches). 

  • The Cardinals have 24 sweeps this season, the most in program history during the rally scoring era.

  • Greapentrog recorded her 300th victory as St. John Fisher's head coach. She has 321 total wins over 19 seasons. 

Match Notes (Individual)

  • The match marked Noble's ninth this season with 15 kills or more. She's had 18 or more five times. 

  • Noble has hit .300 or better in 20 matches this season. 

  • Dannenberg slammed 13 kills while hitting .231 and accounted for 14.5 points. 

  • Gutman slammed six kills while hitting .667 and had two total blocks. 

  • Fraser had five kills and three service aces for eight points. 

  • Fraser is now tied for sixth on Fisher's single-season top-10 for service aces with 73. 

  • Morrow finished with 34 assists, averaging 11.3 per set. 

  • Senior libero Kiera Hartpence, the E8 Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 16 digs, tied for the most she's had against an E8 team this year. 

Up Next

The Cardinals will watch the NCAA DIII Selection Show as a team on Monday.


 
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