The Geneseo women's volleyball team entered the College of Mount Saint Joseph Invitational Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio last weekend on a high note after their Sept. 5 victory over the St. John Fisher Cardinals.
The Knights defeated St. John Fisher in four games: 30-25, 30-21, 28-30 and 30-25. Seniors Kate Barth and Courtney Nash dominated with 11 kills each, followed by freshman Krista Frieling with 10 kills. Sophomore Maddy Maler and junior Ashley Saltzman secured the victory with 22 and 20 assists, respectively.
In Friday's first match-up, however, Geneseo lost all three games to Mount Saint Joseph. The Knights were beaten 26-30, 19-30 and 28-30. Barth led the team with seven kills, and Frieling contributed five. Maler and Saltzman recorded 13 assists each. Sophomore Emma Fritz and senior Jessi Laemlein finished the match with nine digs apiece.
Later in the day, Geneseo faced Otterbein College, losing in five games. Otterbein took the first game, 30-27, but Geneseo won the second by a 30-24 score. Otterbein won 30-24 in the third, but Geneseo took the fourth, 30-26 to force a fifth game. Otterbein was ultimately victorious in a close fifth game, winning 15-13. Junior Shayna DiMatteo led the team with 14 kills, while Laemlein also had 10. Maler had 23 assists, and Barth led the team with 18 digs. Maler registered 11 digs while Laemlein and Fritz both recorded 10.
The second day of the tournament saw a Geneseo loss in its first match-up but a win in its second. In the first match, the Knights faced the Walsh University Cavaliers and lost all three games; 30-20, 30-22, and 30-10. Frieling and sophomore Jessie Stephenson led the team with four kills each, while Maler and Saltzman both had nine assists.
The Knights ended the weekend on a positive note with a win over the Transylvania University Pioneers. Geneseo dropped the first game, 30-26, but rebounded to win the next three, 30-28, 31-29 and 30-24. Laemlein lead with 11 kills, while Saltzman had 28 assists and Maler 21. Fritz led the team with 15 digs as the Knights improved to 4-5.