Keuka College Women’s Volleyball played their first game of three in the Hamilton College Invitational on Friday night. The Wolves lost 3-2 to the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in game one.
Setter Casey Hunziker (Rome, N.Y. / Rome Free Academy) recorded an incredible 47 assists in the loss and first-year student Gabby Fenton (Buckeye, Ariz. / The Odyssey Institute of Advanced and International Studies) dominated on offense with 18 kills and four service aces.
SUNY Morrisville 3 vs Keuka College 2 | 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 15-12
SUNY Morrisville started strong, with an early service ace putting the Wolves on the defensive. Keuka rallied back with kills from Gabby Fenton, taking a narrow 6-3 lead. The set became a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading points. Keuka briefly regained the lead at 9-7 with a service ace from Fenton, but Morrisville took advantage of attack errors from the Wolves to pull ahead. The set remained close going into extra points but the Mustangs would take set one 27-25.
The Wolves came out strong in the second set, benefiting from early attack errors by SUNY Morrisville to grab a 2-0 lead. The Mustangs regained their composure, answering with a 6-2 run. Keuka continued to battle, closing the gap to 6-5. The teams remained close throughout the set, but Morrisville held off Keuka’s attempts to make a comeback. Despite back-to-back service aces from Fenton, Morrisville took the second set 25-20.
The Mustangs came out swinging in the third set, jumping to a 5-1 lead after a service ace and multiple kills. However, Keuka found their offensive stride to bring the game to 5-4 after a service ace by Gabby Rodriguez (Floresville, Texas / Floresville). Keuka stayed competitive, tying the set at 13-13 with key kills from Fenton and Nina Scott (Honeoye Falls, N.Y. / Honeoye Falls-Lima). The Wolves earned a 15-13 lead, fueled by a service ace from Casey Hunziker and a block from Scott. Morrisville tried to rally back, but Keuka closed out the set 25-21, forcing a fourth set.
Morrisville started the fourth set strong, taking an early 3-1 lead. Both teams exchanged points, but Keuka pulled ahead with kills from Dayna Edholm (Buffalo, N.Y. / Sweet Home) and Fenton to take a 13-10 lead. The Green and Gold continued to maintain their lead throughout the set, with Rodriguez and Scott playing important roles at the net. The Wolves capitalized on Morrisville’s attack errors and closed out the set 25-18, bringing the game to a fifth set.
In the final set, Keuka came out strong, taking a 2-0 lead after an attack error and a kill by Scott. Fenton’s back-to-back kills extended the Wolves lead to 5-1. Morrisville chipped away at the lead, making it 6-3 with a kill. Keuka maintained a slim 7-4 advantage, but Morrisville tied the game at 9-9 following a service ace and an attack error by Keuka. Bryn Straub (Irondequoit, N.Y. / Irondequoit) gave Keuka the lead again with a kill, but Morrisville responded with strong offensive play, pushing ahead 12-10. Despite a late effort from Keuka, Morrisville reached the finish line with an ace from the service line to win the last set 15-12. SUNY Morrisville won the match 3-2.
Up Next for Keuka College: The Green and Gold will stay in Clinton, NY to close out the Hamilton College Invitational on Saturday, September 14. The Wolves will play the host school Hamilton College at 11 a.m. and St. Lawrence University at 3 p.m..
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