ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's volleyball team swept back-to-back matches on Saturday, defeating SUNY Poly, 3-0, and Alfred State College in the Alfred Cup, 3-1.

The Saxons (12-11, 4-1) won against SUNY Poly (6-12, 0-5 Empire 8) by scores of 25-13, 25-15, 25-16. AU clinched the victory over the Pioneers (10-8, 0-1 AMCC) with set scores of 25-14, 26-24, 15-25, 25-19.

Match One
Alfred University – 3 | SUNY Poly – 0
 
A day after leading the Saxons in scoring against Utica, Carleigh Santavy (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake Northern) led the way once again with a game-high 11.0 points on 11 kills. Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) added 9.0 points on eight kills and one service ace while notching a team-leading 11 digs. Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) registered 6.0 points on three kills and three service aces, along with 27 assists. Julia Abbott (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) finished with 5.5 points on four kills and two blocks.
 
After improving to 2-0 in the match, AU found themselves in a tight battle in the early stages of the third set. There were five ties and five lead changes between the two teams. With the score at seven-all, Abbott notched back-to-back kills to break the tie. A Santavy kill and two Wildcat errors gave the Saxons the 12-8 lead. AU's lead continued to get bigger with more SUNY Poly errors. In addition, Malone and Santavy registered two kills apiece while Sims posted a kill and a service ace that sealed the victory for the Saxons.
 
AU dominated the match with strong offense and serving, finishing with a .277 hitting percentage compared to SUNY Poly's .024. The Saxons combined for the season's second-best 13 service aces.
 
Match Two
Alfred University – 3 | Alfred State College – 1
 
Malone tallied a game-high 20.5 points on 17 kills, three service aces and one block assist. She also added nine digs to her stat line. Sims recorded 30 assists and scored 9.0 points on five kills, three service aces and one solo block. Whitney Kilton (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) posted a career-high 7.5 points on six kills, one service ace and one block assist. Cara Bratthauar (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg), Santavy and Meeghan Peterson (Amherst, NY/Williamsville) each contributed 5.0 points. Peterson led AUVB in service aces with a season-high five. Madalynn McGowan (Corona, CA/Norco) tallied a game-high 13 digs while notching three assists and two service aces.
 
The Saxons had a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Alfred State flipped the script by winning the third.
 
The Saxons re-established their control in the decisive fourth set. Up 15-13 mid-set, the Pioneers tallied four unanswered points to pull ahead. But AUVB got back in front with two A-State errors and kills by Sims and Santavy. The Pioneers scored their final points of the game on back-to-back kills before two errors, including one involving a Kilton and Malone block assist, ignited a 6-0 run for the Saxons. Two Malone kills and two Peterson service aces put the finishing touch on AUVB's and the school's second Alfred Cup victory.
 
The Saxons recorded a season-high 16 service aces as a team.
 
"Today was a great day to be a Saxon," Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "We won our first match at home in three and then won on the road all the way to Alfred State to play them in the Alfred Cup. Winning on their home court in front of all those fans was a great feeling. The atmosphere was electric and the play on both sides was phenomenal."
 
The Saxons are on the road for the next two matches, beginning at Hartwick College on Friday, Oct. 17, at 6:00 PM.