A crucial week awaits the Geneseo volleyball team, as the playoff season quickly approaches. The Knights, who ended their conference play with a 5-4 record, have clinched the fifth seed in the SUNYAC Tournament. This will be the first time the Knights have made the playoffs under head coach Amber Dun, who is on her second year. Following a disappointing 16-18 season with no playoff appearance last year, Dunn made sure to make improvements on the court this year. “I set off to find players that could bring us to that level—the playoffs,” Dunn said.
Despite clinching the fifth seed in the SUNYAC Tournament, the Knights still have a few more out-of-conference games—none of which are an easy feat. “I purposely tried to schedule tricky non-conference games in the week leading up to the playoffs to better prepare ourselves if we got in,” Dunn said.
The team will be traveling to Saratoga on Friday Oct. 28 for the Skidmore Invitational. There, they will face Union College, Skidmore College and Ithaca College to end the regular season. Geneseo is looking sharp heading into the invitational, having won four of its last five games. “Right now, we are doing really well,” Dunn said. “We are peaking at a great time in the season.”
As the fifth seed, the Knights will take on the SUNY Fredonia Blue Devils. These two teams faced off earlier this season, resulting in a 3-1 loss for Geneseo. It is, however, important to note that some of the key players for the Knights were unable to play due to sustained injuries at this match. Furthermore, since the beginning of the season, the team has improved their overall dynamic and has become much stronger in doing so.
“Fredonia can expect to see a completely different team,” Dunn said.
Certain college sports, including volleyball, tend to play most of their games on the road due to tournament and invitational style events. Although the away game at Fredonia will continue this trend, Dunn does not think that this will play a large impact in the game, as the Knights have a great amount of experience playing on the road.
In addition, Dunn noted that there is always the added pressure to win when playing in front of the home crowd, which the Knights will not have to face for the SUNYAC Tournament or Skidmore Invitational. Regardless of where the game is played, this matchup is sure to be a good one and is vital for both teams.
The Knights will face the Blue Devils in Fredonia on Tuesday Nov. 1 at 6 p.m.