KEUKA PARK, N.Y.
— Keuka College battled back twice on Saturday afternoon, forcing a decisive fifth set before closing out a 3-2 Empire 8 victory.
Alessandra Castañeda filled the stat sheet with 14 kills, five service aces, and a career high 23 digs. Senior
Nina Scott led the Wolves with 22 kills while adding 10 digs.
Gabby Rodriguez anchored the back row with a match-high 30 digs while junior setter
Summer Elza dished out 21 assists.
Keuka College 3 vs. SUNY Brockport 2 - 25-20, 18-25, 18-25, 25-23, 16-14
The Green and Gold came out fast in the opening set. Castañeda served four aces in the frame as Keuka College raced to a 4-0 lead and later used another 6-0 run to build a 15-9 advantage. The visitors trimmed the deficit to four late in the set, but kills from Scott, Castañeda, and first-year
Gianna Falleti kept the Wolves in control before a service error sealed the 25-20 opening-set victory.
The second set swung early as Keuka College fell behind 10-2. The Wolves chipped away with three straight points to make it 10-5 and later cut the deficit to 21-16 behind consecutive points on Rodriguez's serve, but the comeback ran out of time as the match was evened at one set apiece.
Set three followed a similar pattern with Keuka College battling back after an early deficit. Kills from Scott, Castañeda, and Falleti helped trim the margin to 18-13, and a late push brought the Wolves within five, but the Golden Eagles held on for a 25-18 decision and a 2-1 match lead.
Facing elimination, the Wolves answered in the fourth. After trailing 19-17 late in the set, Keuka College scored five consecutive points behind Rodriguez's serve. Scott recorded back-to-back kills during the run before Castañeda finished the set with a kill to even the match at two sets each, 25-23.
The decisive fifth set featured six ties and five lead changes. Keuka College erased a 7-3 deficit with a five-point run sparked by a
Phoebe Swartz service ace and consecutive Scott kills. After the teams traded points to a 14-14 tie, Scott delivered another kill before finishing the afternoon with the match-winning attack off an assist from Elza, giving the Wolves the 16-14 victory.
KC Notes:
- Keuka College snapped Brockport's six-match winning streak
- The Green and Gold defeated the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2013
- With 22 kills today, Scott moved to ninth all-time in career kills with 831
- Sophomore Addison Chorney surpassed 100 kills on the season
- With 105 digs, Keuka College tied for ninth-most digs in a five-set match in program history
- The Wolves also moved to fifth all-time today for attacks in program history in a five-set match with 205
Up Next for Keuka College: Keuka College will travel to Alfred University on Friday, October 16 for a 6:00 p.m. match.
