The Geneseo women's volleyball team went 3-1 last weekend, securing a third place finish in the SUNYAC west division with a 5-3 conference record.
Friday, the Knights routed both Buffalo State and SUNY Oswego in straight sets, 3-0. Sophomore Kat Strickland led Geneseo against Buffalo State with eight kills and two blocks. Two more contributors for Geneseo were freshman Laura Galvin who had 18 assists and senior Jess McKenna who came through with nine digs.
Head coach Jen Salmon said the team "gained a lot of confidence" as they defeated Buffalo State in just three sets, after it took them five sets to win their previous game against the Bengals.
Later on Friday, Geneseo won again in straight sets, this time against Oswego. Geneseo was led by junior Krista Frieling with 12 kills, senior Maddy Maler with 13 assists and a kill, Galvin who dished out another 18 assists and McKenna who added six more digs.
After losing to conference-leader Fredonia in three sets early Saturday, the Knights were able to come back and upset SUNY Brockport in five sets, 3-2, later in the afternoon. Frieling led a balanced Geneseo attack with 11 kills. Galvin came through with 21 assists, six kills and five digs. Maler had 11 assists and sophomore Jackie Inserillo had six kills and one block.
After their loss in the first set and a fall of 2-1 following the third set, Geneseo came back, winning the fourth set 25-20 and the fifth 15-9. Salmon said that it was a great match and said she was happy the team was "able to come back and finish."
Salmon noted that the team has very dependable starters, but added that "in key moments we've had to rely on our bench and they've done a great job," mentioning the performances of Inserillo and sophomore Alex Hughes in the victory against Brockport.
Salmon said that the "whole weekend was a confidence boost" and that she believes this will be extremely beneficial to the team heading into SUNYACs. Salmon said she also believes the team is much more prepared for SUNYACs this year, especially because the team won 20 games this season.
The only other SUNYAC teams with 20 wins this year are Fredonia, the winner of the west division, and New Paltz, who came in first place in the SUNYAC east division.
The Knights begin their pursuit of a conference title in the SUNYAC tournament at New Paltz on Nov. 5 against Cortland.