BRADFORD, PA – The Alfred University women's volleyball team pulled out a gritty 3-0 win at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Tuesday.
 
The Saxons (4-9, 0-0 Empire 8) won their sets with scores of 25-17, 25-23, 25-22.
 
Taylor Malone (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) led AUVB with 13.5 points on the night. She and Carleigh Santavy (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake Northern) each tallied a game-high 11 kills on 21 attacks. Malone also added two service aces and one block assist to her point total.
 
Delaney Sims (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy) posted a game-high 27 assists and eight digs while scoring 4.5 points on three kills and two blocks. Whitney Kilton (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) contributed 5.5 points and Jade Wolfer (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) matched her career-high with five service aces for 5.0 points.
 
The Saxons opened with a 10-5 lead in the first set, never trailing by fewer than four points. AU hit .421 as a team, while Pitt-Bradford (11-3, 0-0 AMCC) hit .200.
 
The next two sets would be a battle for the Saxons.
 
In the second set, AUVB struggled with four-straight errors that resulted in a 10-7 advantage for Pitt-Bradford. Three Panther errors and a kill by Sims off the assist from Santavy brought the Saxons in front by one, 11-10. However, Pitt-Bradford responded with a 7-3 run (three of those points on AUVB errors) to take back the lead, 17-14. The Saxons tallied four unanswered points to go up by one again before the Panthers erased it with five of their own. However, a kill by Abigail Omelan (Tomball, TX/Tomball Memorial) ignited a 7-1 run that sealed the comeback for the Saxons.
 
Both teams were tied at 7-7 in the early stages of the third set. A Santavy kill and a Pitt-Bradford error put AUVB on top. The Saxons led 22-17 when the Panthers cut their margin to one with a 5-1 run. The final two plays were made by Malone as she made a big kill before assisting Cara Bratthauar (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg Area) on a block to claim the win for AUVB.
 
"I'm very proud of our team," Head Coach Mike Honeycutt said. "We went on the road and beat a team that only had two losses. And to do it in three sets really shows the growth of our team this season. Delaney Sims not only led us as a setter but also played phenomenal defense. This was a great team effort. We have won three straight and look forward to our next match."
 
The Saxons host their first home match of the season against Penn State Behrend on Thursday at Terry S. Galanis Arena. The first serve is set to take place at 7:00 PM.