Box Score ALFRED, NY – Coming off a road loss at Houghton University, the Alfred University women's volleyball team bounced back with its first Empire 8 win of the season by defeating Elmira College, 3-0, on Friday.
 
The Saxons (7-11, 1-1 Empire 8) won all three sets by scores of 25-14, 25-23, 25-18.
 
Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) led in scoring with 13.0 points on a game-high 12 kills and one service ace. Carleigh Santavy (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake Northern) added 8.5 points on eight kills and one block assist. Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) tallied a double-double of 22 assists and 10 digs. She also scored 6.0 points on a career-high four service aces, two block assists and one kill. Cara Bratthauer (Chambersburg, PA) also finished with 6.0 points on four kills and three total blocks. Madalynn McGowan (Corona, CA/Norco) matched her career-high 5.0 points while registering a career-high four service aces and game-high 12 digs.
 
Alfred came out strong, with two Soaring Eagle errors and a service ace from Meeghan Peterson (Amherst, NY/Williamsville South). Sims posted back-to-back service aces while Malone and Bratthauer each added a kill to extend the Saxons' advantage, 12-6. Twelve errors by Elmira College (2-14, 0-1 Empire 8) kept AUVB on top for the entire first set. Once again, kills by Malone and Bratthauer and back-to-back service aces by Sims gave the Saxons the 1-0 lead to start the match. 
 
The second set was more closely contested early on, with five ties and four lead changes. Malone added two kill while McGowan notched back-to-back service aces to put AUVB ahead, 11-9. Malone and Julia Abbott (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) combined for the Saxons' next five kills to secure the second set.

AUVB carried its momentum into the third set, taking an early 8-3 advantage on a Malone kill, a McGowan service ace and four Soaring Eagle errors. Errors became an issue for both teams the rest of the set, but the Saxons continued to hang on. In the final three plays, Santavy tallied back-to-back kills before joining Whitney Kilton (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) for a block assist to end the night on a high note with a victory.
 
"It was a great win at home," Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "We played well as a team and our defense was tough. There is another tough match tomorrow and we need to get refocused on that now."
 
AUVB gets back on the road as it travels to Keuka College on Saturday at 1:00 PM.