ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's volleyball team was defeated by St. John Fisher College on Sunday first in Empire 8 action, 1-3 and then again in a non-conference matchup, 0-3 on Sunday afternoon in the Terry S. Galanis Family Arena.
 
"I think we played the best match of our season tonight, despite the outcome of the first match," Head Coach Dakota Pruiss said. "Fisher is the defending champions so to play them closely with such a young squad is huge. I'm excited about our ability to compete with them in playoffs."
 
The Saxons (2-4, 1-3 Empire 8) were led by sophomore Kayle Hatfield (Descanso, CA/Granite Hills) in the first match with 9.5 points from nine kills and one block assist with first-year Honor Edmands (Reno, NV/Reno) right behind with 8.0 points from seven kills and one solo block. Sophomore Darian Ortiz (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael's) tied a season-high of 24 digs on Sunday in the opening match while earning one kill. Amanda Burns (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush) had 26 set assists and added seven digs on the day. First-year Jamie Chun (Hilo, HI/Hilo) rounded out the Saxon defense in the first match with 12 digs and added an ace.
 
Nine different Saxons all contributed points in the first match. Going along with Hatfield, Edmands, Ortiz, Burns and Chun were Fiona McNeil (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt), Sarah Raeman (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua), Rylee Russin (Broomfield, CO/Broomfield) and Corinne Ferguson (Chesapeake, OH/Chesapeake).
 
In the second match, it was sophomore Russin led Alfred University with 8.5 points from six kills, two service aces and one block assist. She also had seven digs in the match. Chun led AU in digs with 19 while having a team-high four aces and added one assist. Senior Julia Fanning (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior) followed in digs with 12 while adding a team-high 14 assists as she also was second on the team in points with 6.0 from four kills and two aces.
 
Third highest on the kills list in the second match was senior Maija Grinbergs (Dedham, MA/Norfolk County Agricultural) as she also tacked on an assist. Edmands, Ferguson and McNeil all had two kills while senior Erin Clabby (Manasquan, NJ/Wall) rounded out the category with a kill from the back row.
 
"More importantly, I was excited that we used the opportunity to allow all four of our seniors to play," Coach Pruiss said. "This crew, along with teammate Alex Taylor (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Los Osos), defined our current culture and level of competitiveness. I don't know what AUVB looks like without them but they leave us in a much better place than when they arrived. This class is a group of stellar human beings and I am so proud of the young women that they've grown into. They are why I continue to coach and I am thankful for knowing them."
 
In pre-match celebrations, the Saxons first acknowledged the careers of two of St. John Fisher's seniors, Rebecca hay and Molly Taylor. Then, the Saxons congratulated Clabby, Fanning, Grinbergs and Raeman on their careers here at Alfred University.
 
The Saxons will next travel to Sage College for their last solo match on Saturday, April 3 at 2:00pm before hosting Elmira College in a conference and non-conference meetings on Saturday, April 10 with the first to start at 11:00am.