Heading into last weekend's SUNYAC pool play, the women's volleyball team was 1-11. Five games and three days later, the Lady Knights quadrupled their win total, going 3-2 over the long weekend.
Geneseo started things off Thursday against a challenging opponent in Fredonia. Known to be one of the elite teams in the SUNYAC West, Fredonia towered over the Knights who can only boast one player over the height of 5'9." Geneseo fell in three sets, 25-16, 25-10, 25-20.
Friday was intense for the Lady Knights. They began their day against a relatively easy opponent in Morrisville, and beat them in three sets, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18.
Friday's second game was deemed by Geneseo coach Jen Salmon as "the game of the weekend." Entering their match against the Brockport Golden Eagles, the Lady Knights were ready for sweet redemption after a heartbreaker against them earlier in the season. Five sets later, Geneseo lost 25-22, 21-25, 25-15, 16-25, 15-6. It was a back-and-forth battle that left the Lady Knights looking forward to an Oct. 17 battle to reclaim their prominence in this growing rivalry.
The Lady Knights showed immense character on Saturday, rolling over both opponents they faced. Buffalo State was the first challenge, but a fiery Geneseo squad overwhelmed them in three sets, 25-14, 25-20, 25-17.
Before the two-hour haul back to Geneseo, the Lady Knights were ready to start a winning streak. Facing the Oswego Lakers, Geneseo cruised to an easy four-set victory, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 25-15. Led by 43 assists from captain Maddy Maler, a junior, Geneseo overcame the Lakers' ostensible home-court advantage.
Sophomore Krista Frieling showed tremendous heart during the weekend tournament, playing with a hurt back while continuing to register a solid number of kills. Two other notables from the weekend's action include freshman Kathryn Strickland and junior Laura Lobaugh, considerd by Salmon to be the Knights' "biggest leader."
Now 4-13, the Lady Knights will face Ithaca on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a nostalgic game for Salmon, a 2002 Ithaca graduate.