ROCHESTER, NY – The Alfred University women's volleyball team fell in Empire 8 action to Nazareth College on Friday evening on the road in four sets.
 
The Saxons (6-14, 0-3 Empire 8) won the third set to send it into extras but were overcome in the fourth. "Even though the result isn't what we wanted, I was impressed with some of our play," Head Coach Dakota Pruiss said. "Julia [Fanning] ran the show tonight when we went to her to run the offense. She established amazing performances for most of our hitters, such as Kayle [Hatfield] and Lainey [Arneson]. We are looking forward to face St. John Fisher tomorrow."
 
After a tough, 8-25 first set loss, the Saxons were reenergized in the second, battling to a close, 23-25 setback. Julia Fanning (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior) recorded eight of her 23, team-leading set assists in the second set. She produced another 10 set assists in the third set, that was finalized by a Saxon 26-24 score after a kill from Amber Smith (Penfield, NY/Webster Schroeder) and a solo block from Smith as well when the set was tied, 24-24.
 
Smith led AU in points with 15.5 off of 14 kills, her solo block and one block assist. She recorded another double-double on the year as she tied Darian Ortiz (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael's) for a team-leading 10 digs each.
 
Lainey Arneson (Yorktown, VA/Tabb) chipped in a career-high 9.5 points off career-high seven kills as she hit a career-high .375 (with 10 or more total attacks as she hit a .556 off of nine attacks with six kills her first-year season). Kayle Hatfield (Descanso, CA/Granite Hills) rounded out the top scorers for the Saxons with eight kills for an even, 8.0 points. Arneson also tied her career-high in block assists with three. Sarah Raeman (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) led Alfred University in total blocks with four as she had three assisted and one solo. Ortiz had three aces while Fanning contributed two. Fanning followed Ortiz and Smith in digs with nine, just one shy of a double-double, which would have been her second of the season and career.
 
The Saxons will next take on the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College in their Empire 8 home-opener and first home single match of the year. The match will begin at 3 p.m. on the court of the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena. The Saxons will also be celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of the 1999 Women's Volleyball Team that made an appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.