CLAREMONT, CA – The Alfred University women's volleyball team closed out its California trip with a four-set loss to Illinois Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Saxons (0-3, 0-0 Empire 8) dropped the solo match of the day after winning the first set, 26-24 but dropping three in a row, 17-25, 22-25 and 19-25.
 
Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) had her second match in a row of 30+ set assists as she broke her season-best mark of 32 by being credited with 34 on Saturday. She also had a season-best in digs with eight. She had 3.0 points from a kill, an ace and a solo block as well.
 
Four Saxons reached double-digit numbers in digs, led by Jamie Chun (Hilo, HI/Hilo) with 18. Darian Ortiz (Sante Fe, NM/St. Michael's) totaled 15 digs, Anjoeline Armstrong (Simi Valley, CA/Bishop Alemany) totaled 14 and Madalynn McGowan (Corona, CA/Norco) added 11. Chun, Armstrong and McGowan were all season-bests. Chun added 9.0 points from seven kills, one ace and one solo block.
 
On the attack, Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) led the way with 12 kills and one block assist for 12.5 points. Casey Grange (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca) followed with 11.0 points from nine kills, two block assists and one block solo. Fiona McNeil (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) tacked on 10.0 points from two solo blocks and eight kills.
 
AU got down early in the first set after an Illinois 8-2 run to open the match followed by another run of 3-2, making it an 11-4 advantage for the Scarlet Hawks (1-2, 0-0 NACC). The Saxons turned on the jets to bring it within two after a 6-1 run. IIT scored the next four points to make it 16-10. The Saxons responded with a 5-1 run, bringing the margin back to within two, 17-15. The Saxons didn't see their first lead of the day until a kill from Grange tied the set at 19-19 and a kill from Cara Bratthauar (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area) to put them up, 20-19.
 
Both teams battled back and forth until the Scarlet Hawks tied it up at 24-24. McNeil scored the 25^th point with one of her kills before an attack error by IIT closed out the set for the Saxons' 1-0 match lead. Illinois would go on to win the next three sets by three or more points.
 
The Saxons will next return to New York for a two-day, three-match tournament at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. They begin the weekend with a solo match against Plattsburgh State on Friday, September 8 at 7:00pm. Then, the Saxons will take on SUNY Oneonta at 10:00am and SUNY Morrisville at 2:00pm on Saturday.