The Geneseo Knights volleyball team traveled to Brockport this past weekend, splitting their first four matches of SUNYAC pool play.
On Friday, the Knights won an intense match against Buffalo State 26-24, 20-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-8. Senior Maddy Maler and freshman Laura Galvin combined for 46 of the team's 48 assists in the game.
Geneseo showed poise and determination as they entered the fifth set, in which they took control, dominating 15-8. "The girls came out confident in the fifth set, which is not an easy thing to do," head coach Jen Salmon said. "We came out strong and finished." Their next game, however, was not as successful as Geneseo fell to the host Brockport Golden Eagles in four sets 25-21, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19.
Saturday's matches were a repeat of the night before for the Knights, as they went on to lose a hard fought, five set match to Fredonia 25-14, 25-18, 22-25, 22-25, 16-14 before crushing Oswego in three straight sets 25-16, 25-4, 25-22. "I was happy to end on a positive note," Salmon said.
The match against Fredonia could have gone much worse, however, as Geneseo lost their first two sets before fighting back and evening the match at two sets apiece. The team fought back in the fifth set overcoming a deficit before eventually losing the battle 16-14.
"I was proud of the girls because they came back from a 14-11 deficit in the fifth set," Salmon said. "Although we lost, we didn't lose because we beat ourselves."
Junior Krista Frieling had 20 kills in the losing effort.
With their two wins this weekend, the Knights improved to 13-8 overall, surpassing their total wins for last year. "It has been a major turnaround," Salmon said. "It all goes to the girls and the work they've put in, the dedication and the commitment … I give them the credit. I just tell them what to do; they're the ones that are actually doing it."
The team has not only been busy on the court, but also on the television screen. The volleyball team made a short appearance on a segment of NBC's "The Today Show" featuring former Geneseo volleyball player, Jenna Wolfe, co-anchor of the Sunday edition. "It's obviously great publicity for the university, but it's also exciting because volleyball is on there," Salmon said. "The girls really enjoyed it."
Geneseo looks for some redemption this weekend as they travel to Nazareth College to take on Brockport and Nazareth, two teams that have previously beaten Geneseo this season.