UTICA, NY – The Alfred University women's volleyball team picked up a five-set Empire 8 victory on the road at Utica University on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Saxons (8-10, 4-3 Empire 8) dropped the first and third sets but won the second, fourth and fifth sets. The final score line for AU was 20-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 16-14 as they handed the Pioneers (13-10, 3-3 Empire 8) the Saturday loss.
 
"It was great to win a five-set match in such dramatic fashion! It shows how much grit and determination this team has," Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "Especially after losing a five-setter last night and officially clinching a spot in the Empire 8 playoffs is so satisfying. It's been two years since Alfred was in the playoffs and we couldn't be more excited."
 
Three Saxon players had double-digit points as Casey Grange (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) led the way, tying for a match-high 18.5 points. She had a match-high 18 kills while adding one block assist. Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) added 16.0 points from 15 kills and one ace. She also had the match-high in digs with 29. Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) was once again, an all-around threat for AU, totaling 12.0 points from eight kills (as a setter) and tying for a match-high four service aces. She also had a match-high 32 set assists while adding six digs.
 
Darian Ortiz (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michael's) added 21 digs, 10 assists and a kill while Jamie Chun (Hilo, HI/Hilo) tacked on 18 digs, 8.0 points from six kills and two aces.
 
The Saxons were down, 20-19 in the second set before taking the lead by scoring five, unanswered points. Grange, Cara Bratthauar (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area) and Fiona McNeil (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) each had kills in the spree. The Pioneers score twice to bring it within two points, 24-22 before Grange closed out the set and tied the match, 1-1 after AU dropped the first set.
 
Alfred University, after falling down in the match, 2-1 with the third set loss, began the fourth set with intensity, holding an 8-2 lead. Their efforts kept them in a comfortable lead with, at one point, an 11-point lead, 21-10. Utica fought back to a 24-17 deficit before, once again, Grange closed out the set with the 25^th point coming from a kill.
 
AU started the finalizer set with a 6-1 lead after scoring all six points in a row. During that spree, Grange had five kills. Utica took the lead with seven points in a row for an 8-6 lead. Both teams exchanged points until a kill from Utica tied the final set, 14-14. McNeil got a kill for the 15^th point before Chun closed out the set and the match with an ace.
 
The Saxons will next close out their Empire 8 schedule with a Wednesday trip to Elmira College for a 6:00pm start on October 25.