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Oct. 31, 2009
Volleyball Finishes Season at Skidmore Invitational on Strong Note
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State wrapped up the 2009 volleyball campaign on Saturday with a split at the Skidmore Invitational, falling in a hard-fought match to Ramapo, 25-21, 25-11, 26-24, before dispatching Montclair State in three sets, 25-19, 25-14, 25-22. The Cardinals end up 10-25 overall.
In the first match, Kristin Saheim and Abby Mell led the offense with six kills each and both players had three total blocks. Chyresse Wells had six digs.
In the 3-0 win, senior setter Susan Bodkin had 28 assists to push her total for the day at 41 during her last appearance in a Cardinals uniform. With 3,059 assists in her four-year career, she ranks second all-time in school history.
Chelsea Corral pounded a career-best 10 kills to lead her teammates, and Theresa Lilly, Kaitlyn Bakker and Mell added six apiece. Wells was superb on defense evidenced by her 16 digs, and Bakker turned aside four blocks.
The Cardinals hit .240 as a team with 34 kills on just 10 errors in 100 attack attempts.
"I'm really proud of the girls for the way they finished the season," Plattsburgh coach Dena O'Connell said. "If we played as well as we did in our two matches today for the course of the season, then we're talking about extending our year at the SUNYAC Tournament."
Oct. 30, 2009
Spikers Do Battle at Skidmore Invitational Opening Day
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team suffered a pair of 3-0 setbacks on Friday to the host Thoroughbreds and Union (N.Y.) on the first day of the Skidmore Invitational. The Cardinals fall to 9-24 and will wrap up the season here tomorrow afternoon with a couple of matches, starting at 10 a.m.
In a 25-11, 25-19, 25-19 loss to Skidmore, Abby Mell and Theresa Lilly had six and five kills, respectively. Susan Bodkin added 14 assists and five digs. Chyresse Wells led the defense with 10 digs and Kristin Saheim had nine. Mell, a freshman, also had four blocks.
During a 25-22, 25-17, 25-15 loss to the Dutchwomen, Mell posted five kills, Saheim and Lilly both earned four. Wells made 17 digs and Bodkin had nine while earning 13 assists.
Oct. 27, 2009
Bakker, Mell Lead Plattsburgh at Saint Michael's
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Kaitlyn Bakker had a team high 11 kills and freshman Abby Mell added eight, but it wasn't enough as Plattsburgh State lost a 25-12, 25-23, 25-14 decision at Saint Michael's in non-conference volleyball action Tuesday night at the Ross Sports Center. The Cardinals fall to 9-22 on the year while the Purple Knights of the NCAA Division II-scholarship Northeast-10 Conference improve to 7-18.
The Bakker-Mell duo combined for 19 of the Cardinals' 28 kills and hit a collective .359, but the rest of the team was only minus-.121. For the match, Plattsburgh attacked at .093 as a team while SMC was efficient at .327.
Lindsey Frazier led all players with 15 kills to set the Purple Knights' single-season record of 299. Lilly Lowe contributed 10, and both players were over .500 in attack percentage.
Susan Bodkin posted a double-double for Plattsburgh with 20 assists and 10 digs, and Chyresse Wells posted 12 digs.
Oct. 24, 2009
Volleyball Wraps Up SUNYAC Season in Cortland
CORTLAND, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team lost a pair of 3-0 matches to Oneonta and Cortland at Corey Gymnasium on Saturday to close out the State University of New York Athletic Conference schedule. The match scores were 25-11, 25-11, 25-13 in favor of the former Red Dragons, and 25-13, 25-17, 25-18 by the latter host Red Dragons. The Cardinals are now 9-21 overall and 0-8 in the conference.
Against Oneonta, Susan Bodkin paced the offense with 12 assists and four kills while Abby Mell also notched four kills. Kristin Saheim had a team-best seven digs and Bodkin chipped in six.
Chelsea Corral, Kaitlyn Bakker and Saheim each had four kills against Cortland. Kayla Nason dished 10 assists and digged six balls. Chyresse Wells made 12 digs.
Oct. 23, 2009
Volleyball Starts Second Round of SUNYAC Pool Play
CORTLAND, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team lost a pair of matches Friday evening during the second round of State University of New York Athletic Conference pool play held on the campus of SUNY Cortland. The Cardinals' record falls to 9-19 overall, including 0-6 in the SUNYAC.
In the first match of the day, Plattsburgh jumped out to a 2-sets-to-none lead against Potsdam only to see the Bears recover to win the match 27-29, 18-25, 25-11, 25-18, 16-14. Kaitlyn Bakker led the offense with nine kills and she hit .400, followed by Theresa Lilly and Kristin Saheim with five apiece. Setter Susan Bodkin contributed 19 assists, three kills and five digs, and Chelsea Varin recorded 13 digs.
But the Cardinals Achilles' heel all season continued to haunt them in this match, giving away points by committing 11 service errors and 19 reception errors.
Plattsburgh also lost to New Paltz in three sets, 25-10, 27-25, 25-20. Saheim spiked nine kills and Bakker added five. Bodkin directed the offense with 17 assists. Varin reached double digits in digs again, this time with 11. Chyresse Wells notched three service aces and nine digs.
The Cardinals did a better job of serving against the Hawks, but still couldn't overcome a poor serve-receive game with 20 aces allowed.
Oct. 20, 2009
Cardinals Get Swept at Clarkson
POTSDAM, N.Y. - For the second time in a span of three days, the Plattsburgh State volleyball team fell to a tough Clarkson University squad, this time on the road at Alumni Gymnasium, in three sets, 25-20, 25-15, 25-4. The Cardinals fall to 9-17 overall after Tuesday's non-conference loss while the host Golden Knights improve to 20-5.
Like Saturday's 3-0 loss in Plattsburgh, the Cardinals didn't help themselves tonight against the opportunistic Golden Knights. Plattsburgh had a minus-.041 attack percentage, hit more errors (15) than kills (12), seven service errors and 11 reception errors.
On the other side, Clarkson hit .289 as a team and recorded almost twice as many digs, 65 to 36.
Kaitlyn Bakker spiked five of Plattsburgh's 12 team kills. Chelsea Varin contributed 11 digs, and Susan Bodkin had seven assists, five digs and a block.
Plattsburgh did out-perform Clarkson at the net, 5 to 3 in total team blocks.
Oct. 17, 2009
Cardinals Sweep Bobcats to Take Season Series; Lose to Clarkson
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team showed no ill effects after a 10-day layoff on Saturday morning, dispatching visiting Paul Smith's College in three sets at Memorial Hall. The Cardinals won their second sweep of the season over the NAIA Sunrise Conference-affiliated Bobcats by scores of 25-13, 25-8, 25-14.
Plattsburgh improves to 9-15 overall while the Bobcats drop to 0-11.
Plattsburgh's Kristin Saheim led all attackers with six kills and she had a .750 hitting percentage without any errors, to go along with six service aces. Susan Bodkin and Theresa Lilly chipped in five kills apiece and both players hit .714 without making an error. Bodkin also directed a Cardinal offense that had a .339 attack efficiency by making 18 assists.
Lauren Beattie led the Bobcats, who hit minus-.100 as a team, with three kills. Nicole Lathrop added four assists and three digs.
The Cardinals benefited from 17 service aces, but were fortunate that 12 errors of their own from the line didn't come back to haunt them.
Plattsburgh got off to a fast start in the first two sets for a comfortable lead, hitting .400 in the opener and .391 in the second.
However, the team couldn't sustain that momentum in its second match later in the afternoon against Clarkson. The visiting Golden Knights spoiled Plattsburgh's Senior Day with a 25-13, 25-9, 25-15 non-conference win. Clarkson now stands at 18-5 overall while Plattsburgh is 9-16.
Sara Artus led all attackers with 15 kills as the Knights' offense hit .216 for the match. Jenna Stock chipped in 23 assists, eight kills and 12 digs and Megan Mahon came off the bench to spike eight kills.
Kaitlyn Bakker paced Plattsburgh with five kills.
Before the match, seniors Bodkin and Saheim were recognized for their contributions to the program. Bodkin had six assists and 10 digs in her last home appearance, while Saheim had three blocks.
Plattsburgh jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set, taking advantage of opponent attack and service errors. After a 4-0 run by the Golden Knights, the Cardinals reclaimed an 11-9 advantage. But then Artus took over with six kills during a 12-point run to help Clarkson seize control, making it 21-11. The Liberty League school finished the set with a .333 hitting percentage and held Plattsburgh to minus-.091.
Things didn't fare any better for the Cardinals in the second set, hitting below zero again at .206.
Oct. 6, 2009
Errors Doom Cardinals in Loss to Saints
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State struggled during a 25-7, 25-7, 25-15 non-conference volleyball loss at the hands of visiting Saint Lawrence University Tuesday at Memorial Hall, dropping the Cardinals' overall record to 8-15. The Saints, meanwhile, improve to 15-3 on the season.
Plattsburgh had more hitting errors (15) than kills (11) to finish with a minus-.050 attack percentage and also had 18 reception errors.
Abby Mell led the Cardinals with three kills while Susan Bodkin had seven assists and six digs. Chelsea Varin posted nine digs.
Nyasha Miller paced Saint Lawrence with eight kills, followed by Jessica Lucky and Alexandria Kamakas with seven apiece. Setter Abigail Rose recorded 26 assists, directing an efficient Saints offense that hit .368 on 36 kills and just eight errors in 76 attempts.
SLU hit .500 without committing a single attack error to take the first set, 25-7.
Jordan Buzza had five of her match-high seven service aces during a 16-0 run to start the second set.
In the final set, Plattsburgh held the lead early on but couldn't overcome a slow start to the match.
Oct. 3, 2009
Oneonta Invitational Comes to a Close for Cardinals
ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball squad lost a pair of 3-0 matches on Saturday's last day of the Oneonta State Invitational, dropping to 8-14 on the season.
Hartwick defeated the Cardinals 25-22, 25-23, 25-15 in what virtually was a home date for the hometown Hawks whose campus is just minutes from the site of the 12-team event. Plattsburgh was led by Kristin Saheim's six kills and five blocks while Kaitlyn Bakker had three kills and two blocks. Susan Bodkin chipped in 12 assists and six digs.
In a 25-23, 25-17, 25-15 loss at the hands of King's College, Chyresse Wells and Bakker had five kills apiece for the Plattsburgh offense. Wells also saved 12 digs. Bodkin assisted on 16 kills and had seven digs.
Oct. 2, 2009
Cardinals Bounce MCLA to Split on Day One of Oneonta Invitational
ONEONTA, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State went 1-1 during the first day of the Oneonta State Volleyball Invitational, losing to Skidmore in straight sets before coming back to down Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a five-set thriller. The Cardinals snapped an eight-match losing streak to settle at 8-12 overall after Friday's action.
In a 25-10, 25-12, 25-19 loss to the Thoroughbreds, setter Susan Bodkin had an all-around game of 11 assists, three kills and six digs. Theresa Lilly and Chyresse Wells added 11 and nine digs, respectively, while Abby Mell chipped in three kills, three blocks and four digs.
Mell and Lilly teamed up on a match-ending block of a Trailblazers attack attempt in the fifth set, clinching a 21-25, 25-13, 19-25, 25-19, 18-16 victory. Mell posted a career-high six blocks and Lilly ended up with four.
Bodkin dished 26 assists, served up four aces, made five kills and had seven digs. Kayla Nason helped the offense with 16 assists, a career best, plus six digs.
Defensively, Ashley Rebideau paced the Cardinals with 12 digs, Wells had 10 and Carly Fisher contributed nine.
Kristin Saheim and Kaitlyn Bakker provided the offense with 14 and nine kills, respectively. Bakker also had four digs.
"We're playing not to lose instead of playing to win. But we showed that we could come back, so I'm proud of the girls because they didn't quit and continued to work," head coach Dena O'Connell said of her Plattsburgh team, which trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in sets and 9-4 in the fifth. "We just couldn't put the ball down against a nice Skidmore squad."
Sept. 26, 2009
Cardinals Suffer Back-to-Back Losses on Final Day of SUNYAC Pool Play First Round
ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team dropped a pair of three-set sweeps to conclude the first round of State University of New York Athletic Conference East Division pool play on Saturday held on the campus of Oneonta State. The Cardinals are now 7-11 overall and 0-4 in the SUNYAC.
Plattsburgh fell 25-8, 25-14, 25-12 at the hands of Cortland. Theresa Lilly was the only Cardinal with multiple kills (3) as the team struggled offensively by making more hitting errors (15) than kills (7). Chelsea Varin and Susan Bodkin contributed six digs apiece. Plattsburgh also didn't help its cause in the serve-receive game, committing 16 reception errors.
The host Red Dragons pinned a 25-22, 25-19, 25-17 loss on the Cardinals in the nightcap. Kristin Saheim pounded 11 kills on 23 attempts and no errors for a sparkling .478 attack percentage to pace an improved Plattsburgh offense. Kaitlyn Bakker and Abby Mell each added five kills and Lilly had four.
Bodkin posted 23 assists and 11 digs to lead the team in both categories.
Sept. 25, 2009
Plattsburgh at SUNYAC Pool Play, Round 1, Day 1
ONEONTA, N.Y. - Host Oneonta State is the site of the first round of East Division pool play in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. Plattsburgh State lost to New Paltz in the opening match, 25-12, 25-17, 25-21. The Cardinals wrapped up Friday night's action with a heartbreaking 29-27, 20-25, 25-20, 14-25, 15-13 loss to Potsdam, falling to 7-9 overall and 0-2 in the SUNYAC.
Kaitlyn Bakker, Kristin Saheim and Abby Mell each had three kills and setter Susan Bodkin directed the Plattsburgh offense with 14 assists against the Hawks. On defense, Chelsea Varin and Saheim recorded 14 and 10 digs, respectively.
In the match versus the Bears, Bakker spiked a team-best nine kills and Saheim, eight. Bodkin posted 30 assists, 18 digs and four blocks. Both Saheim and Varin chipped in 16 digs.
Sept. 19, 2009
Cardinal Volleyball Classic Concludes Today
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The following are Saturday's results of the final day of the 12th annual Cardinal Classic sponsored by Best Western Inn and Suites and the Ground Round restaurant...
Saturday's Schedule/Results
Match 7: Plattsburgh State vs. St. Joseph's-Long Island; Match scores: St. Joseph's-Long Island wins 25-21, 25-18, 25-18
Cardinals leaders: Kills--Theresa Lilly, 8 ; Assists--Susan Bodkin, 15 ; Aces--0 ; Digs--Lilly, 12 ; Blocks--Abby Mell, 4
Golden Eagles leaders: Kills--Marwa Elembaby, 10 ; Assists--Natalie Czelowalnik, 22 ; Aces--Shannon Dempsey, 5 ; Digs--Dempsey, 17 ; Blocks--not applicable/available
Match 8: Hamilton vs. St. Lawrence; Match scores: St. Lawrence wins 25-17, 25-11, 27-25
Continentals leaders: Kills--Amanda Cohen, 7 ; Assists--Cecelie Pikus, 14 ; Aces--Cohen and Pikus, 2 ; Digs--Jasmine Jolly, 9 ; Blocks--Ally Martella, 4
Saints leaders: Kills-- ; Assists-- ; Aces-- ; Digs-- ; Blocks--
Match 9: Elmira vs. Buffalo State; Match scores: Elmira wins 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 25-12
Soaring Eagles leaders: Kills--Sasha Zavadska, 16 ; Assists--Tesia Kaczynski, 43 ; Aces--Tesia Kaczynski, 3 ; Digs--Sasha Zavadska, 17 ; Blocks--Janice Embury, 2
Bengals leaders: Kills--Katie Sember, 13 ; Assists--Danielle Aurelio-Clark, 34 ; Aces--Ally Pierce & Katelyn Grew, 2 ; Digs--Bree McMahon, 19 ; Blocks-- Ally Pierce, 2
Match 10 (Third Place Match): Plattsburgh State vs. Buffalo State; Match scores: Buffalo State wins 25-19, 27-25, 29-27
Cardinals leaders: Kills--Kaitlyn Bakker and Abby Mell, 9 ; Assists--Susan Bodkin, 25 ; Aces--Chelsea Varin, 6 ; Digs--Varin, 17 ; Blocks--Mell, 2
Bengals leaders: Kills--Katie Sember and Bree McMahon, 11 ; Assists--Danielle Aurelio-Clark, 37 ; Aces--Alissa Easterly, 2; Digs--McMahon, 20 ; Blocks--Ally Pierce, 3
Match 11 (Fifth Place Match): St. Joseph's-Long Island vs. Hamilton; Match scores: St. Joseph's-LI wins 25-20, 25-17, 25-18
Golden Eagles leaders: Kills--Ashley Larrea, 6 ; Assists--Meghan Caiazzo, 29 ; Aces--Ashleigh Scully, 3 ; Digs--Tara Delmastro, 13 ; Blocks--not applicable/available
Continentals leaders: Kills--Ally Martella, 7 ; Assists--Cecelie Pikus, 10 ; Aces--Martella, 3 ; Digs--Amanda Cohen, 9 ; Blocks--Liz Reid, 2
Match 12 (Gold Championship): Elmira vs. St. Lawrence; Match scores: St. Lawrence wins 25-12, 25-16, 25-20
Soaring Eagles leaders: Kills--Sasha Zavadska, 11 ; Assists--Tesia Kaczynski, 19 ; Aces--Sasha Zavadska & Chelsea Needham, 1 ; Digs--Katie Leo & Brittany Adamson, 9 ; Blocks--Sasha Zavadska, 3
Saints leaders: Kills-- ; Assists-- ; Aces-- ; Digs-- ; Blocks--
Six participants were named to the all-tournament team: Tesia Kaczynski (Elmira), Jessica Lucky (St. Lawrence), Marwa Elembaby (St. Joseph's), Susan Bodkin (Plattsburgh), Amanda Cohen (Hamilton) and Katie Sembler (Buffalo State). Abigail Rose from St. Lawrence picked up Tournament MVP honors for the tournament.
Sept. 18, 2009
Cardinal Volleyball Classic Gets Under Way
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Here are the results from the opening day of the 12th annual Cardinal Classic sponsored by Best Western Inn and Suites and the Ground Round restaurant. The six-team volleyball tournament concludes on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and wrapping up with the 3:30 p.m. championship.
Friday's Results
Match 1: Plattsburgh State vs. Hamilton; Match scores: Plattsburgh wins 21-25, 26-24, 25-21, 25-19
Cardinals leaders: Kills--Kristin Saheim, 9 ; Assists--Susan Bodkin, 29 ; Aces--Bodkin, 4 ; Digs--Chelsea Varin, 13 ; Blocks--Bodkin, 3
Continentals leaders: Kills--Amanda Cohen, 11 ; Assists--Alyssa Hopper, 15 ; Aces--Hopper, 3 ; Digs--Rachel Irizarry, 15 ; Blocks--Liz Reid, 1
Match 2: St. Joseph's-Long Island vs. St. Lawrence; Match scores: St. Lawrence wins 25-20, 25-17, 25-19
Golden Eagles leaders: Kills--Marwa Elembaby, 9 ; Assists--Natalie Czelowalnik, 21 ; Aces--Brianna Meyer, 11 ; Digs--Shannon Dempsey, 17 ; Blocks--Melissa Yonnotta, 3
Saints leaders: Kills--Jessica Lucky, 14 ; Assists--Abigail Rose, 35 ; Aces--Rose, 4 ; Digs--Katherine Pierce, 16 ; Blocks--not applicable/available
Match 3: Plattsburgh State vs. Buffalo State; Match scores: Buffalo State wins 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23
Cardinals leaders: Kills--Abby Mell and Susan Bodkin, 6 ; Assists--Bodkin, 16 ; Aces--Bodkin 3 ; Digs--Chelsea Varin and Chyresse Wells, 15 ; Blocks--Bodkin, Theresa Lilly and Kayla Hoopes, 2
Bengals leaders: Kills--Brianne McMahon, 9 ; Assists--Danielle Aurelio-Clark, 21 ; Aces--McMahon, 7 ; Digs--Allyssa Ostrowski, 20; Blocks--not applicable/available
Match 4: St. Lawrence vs. Elmira; Match scores: St. Lawrence wins 21-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-23
Saints leaders: Kills--Jordyn Buzza, 10 ; Assists--Abby Rose, 37 ; Aces--not applicable/available ; Digs-- Katherine Pierce, 20 ; Blocks--Alex Kamakas, 5
Soaring Eagles leaders: Kills--Sasha Zavadska, 12 ; Assists--Tesia Kaczynski, 3 ; Aces--Chelsea Needham ; Digs--Sasha Zavadska and Brittany Adamson, 12 ; Blocks--Janice Embury, 1
Match 5: Buffalo State vs. Hamilton; Match scores: Buffalo State wins 11-25, 25-14, 19-25, 25-22, 15-11
Bengals leaders: Kills--Ally Pierce, 9 ; Assists--Danielle Aurelio-Clark, 33 ; Aces--Katelyn Grew and Bree McMahon, 3 ; Digs--McMahon, 13 ; Blocks--Pierce, 1
Continentals leaders: Kills--Amanda Cohen, 16 ; Assists--Cecelie Pikus, 16 ; Aces--Jasmine Jolly, 5 ; Digs--Rachel Irizarry, 10 ; Blocks--Ally Martella, 4
Match 6: Elmira vs. St. Joseph's-Long Island; Match scores: Elmira wins 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, 23-25, 15-6
Soaring Eagles leaders: Kills--Sasha Zavadska, 30 ; Assists--Tesia Kaczynski, 65 ; Aces--Brittany Raykoske, 4 ; Digs--Sasha Zavadska, 28 ; Blocks--Janice Embury, 8
Golden Eagles leaders: Kills--Melissa O'Connell, 9 ; Assists--Meghan Caiazzo, 35 ; Aces--Brianna Meyer, 5 ; Digs--Tara Delmastro, 29 ; Blocks--not applicable/available
Sept. 15, 2009
Cardinals Ace Past Paul Smith's College in Straight Sets
PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State established a season high .411 attack percentage and tied another benchmark with 20 service aces en route to a 25-10, 25-5, 25-15 non-conference volleyball victory Tuesday at Paul Smith's College at the Sanders SportsPlex. The Cardinals pushed their winning streak to four matches to improve to 6-4 overall while the host Bobcats of the NAIA Sunrise Conference drop to 1-2. The match lasted only 51 minutes for the fastest played this season for the Cardinals.
Freshman Abby Mell paced the offense with nine kills in 13 attempts with no hitting errors for a blistering .692 attack percentage. Fellow first-year Theresa Lilly came off the bench to spike four kills, and Kaitlyn Bakker, Kristin Saheim and Carly Fisher all had three.
Chyresse Wells had nine aces while Chelsea Varin had four to go along with four digs. Hilary Boyea chipped in 19 assists.
Sept. 15, 2009
Bodkin Claims SUNYAC Player of the Week Citation
FREDONIA, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State setter Susan Bodkin earned State University of New York Athletic Conference volleyball player of the week honors for the first time of her career, the league office announced on Tuesday. Bodkin is the first Cardinal chosen for the award in seven years since Erin Hutchinson won it on Oct. 21, 2002.
A senior from Rockville Centre (South Side High School), Bodkin helped the Cardinals take three of four matches at the Panther Invitational in Old Westbury, playing an all-around game that saw her lead her team in assists, aces and second in digs. She also had 4 kills, 25 assists, 2 aces and 15 digs against NCAA Division II Saint Michael's. She totaled 83 assists, 14 aces, 34 digs and 3 blocks.
Plattsburgh enters the annual six-team Cardinal Classic (Friday starting at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 9:30 a.m.) with a 5-4 record and three-match winning streak, pending tonight's outcome at Paul Smith's College.
Sept. 13, 2009
Cardinals Go 3-1 at Panther Invitational after Pair of Sweeps
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State ended the final day at the Old Westbury Panther Volleyball Invitational in style on Sunday after sweeping both Centenary (N.J.) and Farmingdale State at the Clark Athletic Center. The Cardinals, who have won a season-high three straight, improve to 5-4 on the year.
Kaitlyn Bakker registered a team-best nine kills against the Cyclones, who lost 25-22, 25-18, 25-15. Plattsburgh was also led offensively by Kristin Saheim and Theresa Lilly with five kills each, and Susan Bodkin added 20 assists. Chelsea Varin chipped in 12 digs.
The Cardinals also beat the Rams in three sets by scores of 25-11, 25-23, 25-13 as Chyresse Wells posted four kills and Varin made 11 digs. Bodkin and Hilary Boyea shared setting duties with 11 and seven assists, respectively. Bodkin was also a force in the Plattsburgh service game with six aces.
"We played with a lot of energy today. And I'm not just talking about the six on the floor, but our players on the bench giving out encouragement," Plattsburgh coach Dena O'Connell commented after the matches. "It was a total team effort and I'm pleased how well we performed.
"Susan did a solid job finding our open hitters. I thought we passed well, too."
Sept. 12, 2009
Cardinals Split Opening Round Matches at Panther Invitational
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-1 win Saturday over host SUNY Old Westbury to wrap up the first day of the Panther Invitational at the Clark Athletic Center. The set scores of the match were 25-20, 25-19, 26-28, 25-23 in favor of the Cardinals, who now stand at 3-4 overall. Old Westbury falls to 2-5. Plattsburgh began the day with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-19 loss at the hands of King's (Pa.).
Kristin Saheim had a Plattsburgh-leading six kills against the Lady Monarchs. Susan Bodkin added 12 assists for the offense and Chelsea Varin paced the defense with 19 digs.
"King's had a real good setter feed the ball to some solid hitters," which was difficult to stop, Cardinals coach Dena O'Connell said after the match.
The tandem of Saheim and Bodkin led the offensive effort against Old Westbury with five kills and 16 assists, respectively. Saheim also turned back three blocks and Kayla Hoopes matched her in that category. Varin chipped in 12 digs while Ashley Rebideau made five service aces.
"We need to work on our mental game, but I think we're in good shape as a team at this point in the season," O'Connell said. "We're a young team that's still growing."
Plattsburgh concludes Day Two on Sunday against Centenary of New Jersey (10 a.m.) and Farmingdale State (Noon).
Sept. 8, 2009
D-II St. Michael's Spoils Cardinals' Home Opener
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - NCAA Division II Saint Michael's out of the scholarship Northeast-10 Conference recorded a four-set victory over Plattsburgh State on Tuesday at Memorial Hall. The scores of the match were 25-21, 18-25, 25-16, 25-15 as the Purple Knights move to 2-0 this season against Division III opponents. Saint Michael's now stands at 2-1 while the Cardinals dip to 2-3.
Chelsea Corral led Plattsburgh with seven kills in her first start of the season. Kaitlyn Bakker added six for the offense, which committed 27 hitting errors for a .048 attack percentage. Susan Bodkin added 25 assists and 15 digs, Chelsea Varin had a match-best 16 digs and Kristin Saheim served up six aces.
Sara Reney and Lindsey Frazier each had 12 kills for the visitors. Maggie Zuhlke had 34 assists and Kelly Garthwait chipped in 14 digs. Saint Michael's hit .172 for the match, including a .242 clip in a decisive third set to go up 2-1 at that point.
Saint Michael's has won the last five matches in the series.
Sept. 5, 2009
Bodkin Selected to Holiday Inn All-Tournament Team at Hartwick
ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team finished in fourth place at the eight-team Holiday Inn Tournament hosted by Hartwick College, and senior setter Susan Bodkin was named to the all-tournament team.
The Cardinals (2-2) began Saturday's play with a 25-23, 19-25, 25-21, 25-15 victory against the host Hawks, whom they haven't beaten in a few years until this afternoon. Bodkins notched a season-high 27 assists, setting up attackers Abby Mell, Theresa Lilly and Kristin Saheim who had 10, 8 and 7 kills, respectively. Chyresse Wells had 13 digs and Chlesea Varin, 11, to pick up the defense. Wells also had three service aces.
Plattsburgh lost to Union (N.Y.) 25-13, 25-10, 25-16 in the third-place match to close out the final day of competition. Kaitlyn Bakker and Lilly paced the offense with nine kills apiece, and Saheim added six. Mell contributed four kills and three total blocks while Varin posted a team-best six digs.
Sept. 4, 2009
Cardinals Split at Season-Opening Hartwick Tourney
ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State volleyball team won its season opener with a 25-15, 25-22, 13-25, 25-10 decision over Husson before losing a hard-fought match to City College of New York in straight sets, 18-25, 16-25, 11-25, during Day 1 action Friday at the Holiday Inn Tournament hosted at Hartwick College.
"We served very well in the first match and came together as a team right away," Cardinals coach Dena O'Connell said by cell phone. "We made too many mental errors against a solid CCNY team, but there were some great rallies that don't reflect how close the match really was. We didn't quit and I was pleased with our effort tonight."
In the first match, the Cardinals' service game was the key to victory as the team recorded 20 aces. Abby Mell and Susan Bodkin led the way with five apiece.
Kristin Saheim led the offense with seven kills to go along with five digs and three blocks. Bodkin added four kills, five digs and 14 assists.
In the nightcap, Mell completed her freshman debut with three kills and a pair of blocks while fellow first-year Carly Fisher contributed five digs. Saheim and Bodkin again paced the offense with five kills and 11 assists, respectively.
July 28, 2009
Volleyball Cardinals Announce their 2009 Schedule
PLATTSBURGH - Plattsburgh State volleyball coach Dena O'Connell has released the Cardinals 2009 schedule, which includes the team's annual tournament among five home dates. Click here for 2009 volleyball schedule
The 35-match docket gets under way on Sept. 4-5 when Plattsburgh travels to Oneonta, N.Y., for the Hartwick Invitational.
The Cardinals will have their home opener on Sept. 8 against NCAA Division II Saint's Michael's, starting at 6 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The Cardinal Classic will take place Sept. 18-19, as Plattsburgh hopes to return to the championship match from a year ago.
The month of September winds down with the first of two pool play rounds in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. Plattsburgh will be at Oneonta on Sept. 25-26 and in Cortland on Oct. 23-24.
The home finale will be on Oct. 17 when Alfred and Colby-Sawyer invade Plattsburgh for a tri-angular event at Memorial Hall.
The Cardinals will end the regular season in Saratoga Springs on Oct. 30-31 with the Skidmore Classic.
Coach's Corner
Coach Dena O'Connell:
"Each year we look for ways to improve over the last season. I am very proud of each and every one of our student-athletes. It takes focus and determination to be a student-athlete and our players have seen the results of their hard work as the program has reached a new level of excellence. Through it all, the team still finds the time to give back to a highly supportive community, with service activities that include visits to a local nursing home. I always look forward to each season with great anticipation as we rewrite the Plattsburgh State record book." More about Coach Dena O'Connell .
Rewriting the Record Books
The volleyball team has experienced a steady rise into recognition as a top conference and regional team, consistently winning tournaments and reaching post-season play. The Cardinals play in the newly renovated Memorial Hall, complete with a new lighting and sound system for a great collegiate volleyball atmosphere. The team competes in one of the top athletic conferences in the nation, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC ), and the conference champion gains automatic entry into the NCAA Championship Tournament.
The volleyball team, like all intercollegiate athletics teams at Plattsburgh State, focuses on a commitment to competitive excellence, academic achievement, and community service.
Contact Information
For more information about Volleyball at Plattsburgh State, please contact:
Head Coach Dena O'Connell
Phone: (518) 564-4244
E-mail: oconnedq@plattsburgh.edu
Assistant Coach: Katelyn Dubay
Phone: (518) 564-4244