NEW PALTZ, NY – The Alfred University women's volleyball team split its final day of the SUNY New Paltz Tournament, defeating Empire 8 foe, Russell Sage College, 3-1 before being swept by the hosts in three sets on Saturday evening.
 
The Saxons (3-3, 0-0 Empire 8) played in a non-conference matchup with the Gators, winning the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-19. The Gators took the third set to force a fourth in which AU came out of top, 25-16. In the nightcap, the Hawks swept the Saxons, 25-12, 25-13 and 25-17.
 
Match One
 
Jamie Chun (Hilo, HI/Hilo) continued her streak of leading the Saxons in scoring, marking her fifth match in a row with a match-high 15.0 points from 12 kills, two aces and two block assists. She chipped in defensively with nine digs. Casey Grange (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) continued her streak of being a top scorer as well. She had seven kills, three aces and two block assists for 11.0 points. Grange was also second for the Saxons in digs with 12.
 
MyKayla Deyarmin (Smethport, PA/Smethport Area) and Fiona McNeil (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) were both just shy of double-digit scoring in the win. Deyarmin had a match-high hitting percentage of .350, totaling nine kills with two errors on 20 attacks. McNeil had 8.0 points from seven kills and two block assists. "This team continues to impress me. Our grit is undeniable," Interim Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "All nine players contributed again. MyKayla stepped up and led our hitters in this one. It's great to get a win against a conference opponent."
 
Defensively, Anjoeline Armstrong (Simi Valley, CA/Bishop Alemany) had a match-high 19 digs while adding one ace. Darian Ortiz (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael's) once again had more set assists than the entire opposing team, accomplishing that feat on Friday evening in a win over Mount St. Mary College (NY). She totaled 33 assists on Saturday afternoon while the Gators had 28 as a team.
 
Match Two
 
Grange led AU in scoring with four kills and two block assists for 5.0 points. Ortiz had 12 assists, assisting on all 12 kills in the three-set match. Armstrong had six digs while Grange and Ortiz added five.
 
The Saxons will next head to Buffalo, NY for the Buffalo State Bengal Challenge. Their opening match on Friday, September 16 will be a 6:00pm contest with the hosts. They then take on University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg at 11:00am on Saturday, September 17 followed by a 1:30pm start with Bluffton University.