Brockport volleyball is moving on to the SUNYAC semi-finals after they defeated No. 5 Buffalo State in straight sets Tuesday. Their fourth-place finish in conference play earned them home-court advantage in this first-round matchup. The last time these two teams faced off on Oct. 14, the Golden Eagles came out victorious, again winning in three sets.
In this contest, Brockport dominated, winning the three sets 25-15, 25-19 and 25-18. The visiting Bengals had no answer for Brockport’s relentless defense, which finished with 75 digs and one block. Their offense was just as impressive, scoring 58 points.
Middle blocker Alenna Williamson credited this week’s practice preparation for the team’s success.
“We focused on trying to stick to the fundamentals of the game,” Williamson said. “We did a little bit of scouting before to point out different parts of their play.”
Two-time SUNYAC Athlete of the Week Jordan Thompson was credited with 15 kills. Alexis Sison and Williamson each added 10 more. Kaitlyn Jewett also had a productive day and was responsible for 44 assists out of the team’s total 48.
“We really focused on what we did to be successful against them,” Sison said. “We knew we could beat this team.”
The Golden Eagles will have a quick turnaround time to the semi-finals, where they will travel to play SUNY Cortland.
Williamson explained how her team hopes to find success against the No. 1 seed Red Dragons.
“We have two days to prepare, I think making sure we have high energy, productive practices and making it as game-like as possible, that’s what will get us the farthest,” Williamson said.
This is Brockport’s fourth straight semi-final appearance. They will be facing a tough Cortland team, who holds a 23-3 record, and is unbeaten in conference play.
In her senior year, middle blocker Kaia Hubbard has unwavering confidence in her team.
“Everyone is on the same page with this hungry mentality to get it done,” Hubbard said. “We really want to bring it home not only for each other, but for coach in his first year and the school as a whole.”
The opening serve is set for today, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in Cortland.
