Women’s Volleyball loses 3-1 AMCC match at Alfred State

ALFRED, N.Y. --- Carlow University women's volleyball lost a 3-1 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference match to Alfred State College on the road Saturday morning.

The Celtics (6-16,1-5 AMCC) won the first set 25-23 before the Pioneers (14-11, 2-4 AMCC) pulled off the reverse sweep, 25-20, 25-14 and 25-19.

Kelsey Sufak (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes HS) tied her season-high and led Carlow with 17 digs, and Rebecca Hess (New Alexandria, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) added nine kills and 12 digs. Sarah Porter (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway HS) tallied 11 assists in the effort.

Carlow went ahead 5-2 to start the first set, and errors plagued the Pioneers, allowing the Celtics to string together a 10-4 run to lead, 16-9. Alfred State scored six unanswered points to trail by one, but the Celtics maintained their marginal lead. The Pioneers tied the set at 21-all and again at 22 and 23, but another attack error and a kill from Hess secured Carlow's 25-23 victory.

The Celtics kept the momentum going, jumping out to a 10-5 lead in the second set as the Pioneers slowly began chipping away at the advantage. Trailing Carlow 20-19, Alfred State ended the set with a 6-0 run to win, 25-20.

The Pioneers turned the tide in the third set, amassing a 14-4 lead after scoring eight unanswered points. The Celtics' efforts were too late in the game, and Alfred State won the third set, 25-14.

Carlow battled back from a deficit in the fourth set to trail by two, but a 6-1 run put the Pioneers ahead, 24-17. An Alfred State error and a service ace by Emily Hess (Saltsburg, Pa./River Valley HS) added two more points to the board for Carlow, but an error ended the set and the match 25-19 in favor of the Pioneers.

Alayna Tomlinson recorded a game-high 19 kills and had a double-double with 19 digs. Ava Wickes tallied a game-high 20 digs, and Gloria Stem landed a double-double 13 digs and 11 kills for Alfred State.

The Celtics host La Roche University for a 7 p.m. AMCC match Nov. 4.