ONEONTA, N.Y. – Russell Sage College began Empire 8 Conference play with a tough challenge taking on undefeated Hartwick tonight on the road.
The host Hawks, just one of five NCAA Division III teams with a zero in the loss column, swept the Gators 25-21, 25-9, 25-14 to move to 11-0.
Senior outside hitter Macey Salvione (Johnstown, NY/Gloversville), who started the week ranked in the top-30 nationally in kills, aces, points, points per-set, kills per-set, and aces per-set, and junior middle hitter Aniyah Kelley (Newcastle, DE/William Penn) topped RSC with nine kills apiece. Salvione added two blocks and five digs, while Kelley had a .421 hitting percentage.
Setter Emma Rainville (Castleton, NY/Columbia/Binghamton), a grad student, contributed 19 assists, while junior defensive specialist Emma Freidel (Utica, NY/New Hartford) led RSC with 10 digs.
Hartwick (11-0/1-0 E8), which began the contest ranked 16th nationally with a .095 opponent hitting percentage, received double-digit kills from three different players in the home win. The Hawks improved their standing, tallying five blocks and holding RSC to an .083 hitting percentage tonight.
Looking ahead, the Gators (10-7/0-1 E8), which had a four-match winning streak come to a close, host Utica on Friday night.
Gator Bites: RSC began the week leading Empire 8 Conference with 161 aces, 2.98 per-set…Nationally, the Gators ranked 17th and 22nd respectively in those stats…A dozen players returned to the court in 2024…Salvione, middle hitter Monalissa Carius (Hudson, NY/Hudson), a grad student, and Kelley headlined the group…Head Coach Rosilyn Cummings added four newcomers including transfers senior libero Katelyn Atchinson (Alplaus, NY/Niskayuna/Saint Rose) and Rainville to the squad…Cummings was inducted into the SUNY Plattsburgh Athletic Hall of Fame on September 27…Salvione was announced as the E8 Player of the Week for the periods ending Sunday, September 15 and Sunday, September 29…She commenced the week leading the Conference with 261.5 points, 216 kills, 45 aces, and 0.83 aces per-set…The stats all put the outside hitter in the top-30 nationally in all of those categories…She has tallied double-digit kills 12 times and eight double-doubles this fall.
