CANTON, N.Y
. — The Keuka College Women's Volleyball team dropped a pair of matches Friday on the opening day of the North Country Showdown at SUNY Canton. The Wolves opened the tournament with a five-set loss to Hilbert College before falling to SUNY Canton in four sets to close the day.
Junior
Gabby Rodriguez recorded 42 digs across the two matches, moving into eighth place in program history with 908 career digs. Senior
Nina Scott paced the Wolves with 32 kills on the day, while sophomore Alessandra Castañeda added 24 kills and 35 digs.
Hilbert 3 vs Keuka College 2 – 19-25, 25-16, 14-25, 25-23, 15-11
Keuka controlled the opening set from the start. Scott recorded three early kills as the Wolves built a 9-2 advantage.
Lilly Devine followed with a service ace and Castañeda added a pair of kills during a 7-1 stretch that pushed the lead to 16-3. Hilbert answered with a 13-2 run to trim the deficit to 18-16, but the Wolves steadied themselves. Castañeda stopped the run with a kill before
Addisyn Chorney, Scott, and a pair of Hilbert attacking errors helped Keuka close out the set, 25-19.
The second set remained tight through the opening points as Keuka College took a 10-7 lead behind kills from Scott and Castañeda and a service ace by Rodriguez. Hilbert responded with a 12-4 run to seize momentum. Castañeda and
Kayla Linderman each found the floor late in the set, but the Wolves could not recover as Hilbert evened the match with a 25-16 decision.
The Wolves answered emphatically in the third. After the score was tied 8-8, junior
Jaylyn Knight stepped to the service line and completely changed the set. Knight served through a 10-0 run that featured three service aces while the Wolves capitalized on several attacking and ball-handling errors. Castañeda, Linderman, and
Lilah Cousins each recorded kills during the surge as Keuka built an 18-8 advantage. The Wolves remained in control the rest of the way, closing out a 25-14 victory.
The fourth set featured several momentum swings. Keuka College erased an early deficit and took a 16-13 lead after kills from
Gianna Falleti and Castañeda. Scott later gave the Wolves a 20-19 advantage before Hilbert responded to regain the lead. Keuka tied the set at 22-22, and Scott's 17th kill pulled the Wolves within one at 24-23, but Hilbert scored the final point to force a deciding fifth set.
The deciding set remained close throughout. Service aces by Castañeda and Rodriguez, along with kills from Scott and Chorney, helped Keuka stay even as the score reached 10-10. Hilbert closed the match by scoring the final five points to claim the fifth set, 15-11.
SUNY Canton 3 vs Keuka College 1 – 25-16, 24-23, 25-21, 25-21
The Wolves looked to bounce back in the nightcap but found themselves trailing after the opening set. SUNY Canton used an early run to build an advantage, and despite kills from Scott, Falleti and Chorney Keuka dropped the opening set, 25-16.
The Green and Gold responded with one of its strongest sets of the evening in the second. SUNY Canton built an early lead, but the Wolves steadily battled back behind kills from Scott and Castañeda. A block by Scott and Falleti tied the set late before Keuka fought off multiple set points to pull within 24-22. The comeback fell just short as SUNY Canton secured the final point to take the set and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set remained tight throughout as Cousins and Linderman helped Keuka College build an early advantage. A service ace from Rodriguez and a block by Linderman kept the Wolves in front for much of the set, but SUNY Canton answered late. Scott and Linderman recorded consecutive kills to keep Keuka within striking distance before the hosts claimed the final two points for a 25-21 victory.
Facing elimination, the Wolves continued to battle in the fourth. Kills from Scott, Castañeda, and Linderman helped Keuka stay within a point for much of the set as neither team created much separation. The Green and Gold again pushed the set to the closing points, but SUNY Canton held off the late rally to earn a 25-21 win and the four-set match.
KC Notes:
- The Wolves moved to 31-7 all-time against Hilbert and 1-1 in five sets against the Hawks
- Keuka College is now 3-6 all-time against SUNY Canton
- With a total of nine digs for the Wolves, Scott has surpassed over 300 digs in her collegiate career
- Castañeda recorded three service aces against Hilbert, establishing a new career high with 23 service aces this season
- Summer Elza surpassed 500 career assists after totaling 42 assists across Keuka's two matches, including 21 assists in each match
- Jaylyn Knight moved to 200 career digs after tonight
Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves head to Potsdam, N.Y., on Saturday to conclude the North Country Showdown. Keuka will face Husson University at 1 p.m. before taking on SUNY Potsdam at 5 p.m.
