New Paltz, NY - The John Jay women's volleyball team dropped a pair of non-conference matches on Friday in the New Paltz Challenge Tournament, falling to host SUNY
New Paltz and Alfred University in straight sets
The Bloodhounds opened the day with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-15) setback against the Hawks before closing Friday's action with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-20) loss to the Saxons.
SUNY New Paltz 3, John Jay 0
John Jay battled host SUNY New Paltz throughout the opening set before the Hawks pulled away for a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-15) victory.
Emilia Cascapera paced the Bloodhounds offensively with a match-high 10 kills while hitting .250.
Ansley Hobson filled the stat sheet with seven kills, 10 assists, 11 digs and a service ace, while
Kynzie MacInnes contributed six kills and seven digs.
Madison Mullan finished with three kills on 12 attempts without an error for a .250 hitting percentage and added two solo blocks.
Lizbeth Martinez recorded 10 digs, while
Kaia Mittauer handed out six assists and collected five digs.
The Bloodhounds produced their best offensive set of the match in the opener, recording 15 kills. New Paltz built a 23-17 advantage before John Jay mounted a late rally.
Cascapera started the comeback with a kill before MacInnes followed with another. Cascapera then delivered a service ace and two more kills during a five-point Bloodhound run that trimmed the Hawks' advantage to 23-22. New Paltz halted the rally by taking the final two points to secure the opening set, 25-22.
John Jay remained within striking distance throughout the early stages of the second set. Trailing 13-9, the Bloodhounds scored three straight points to cut the deficit to 13-12. The Hawks answered with the decisive stretch of the frame, using an 8-1 run to extend their advantage to 21-13. John Jay continued to battle behind late kills from Mullan and Cascapera, but New Paltz closed out the set, 25-18, to take a 2-0 lead.
New Paltz opened the third set with an early advantage, using a four-point run to move ahead, 6-2. John Jay worked its way back into the frame and pulled within 12-9 following a Hobson service ace.
The Hawks responded and gradually extended their advantage down the stretch. Courtney Meyer delivered three service aces over the final four points as New Paltz took the third, 25-15, to complete the sweep.
John Jay finished the match with 28 kills, 26 assists and 51 digs. New Paltz totaled 33 kills and hit .198 while holding advantages in service aces (9-2) and blocks (8-3).
Alfred 3, John Jay 0
John Jay closed Friday's action with a competitive effort against Alfred University, with the Saxons taking a 3-0 (26-24, 25-13, 25-20) decision.
Despite the final score, the Bloodhounds held advantages in several statistical categories. John Jay finished with a 28-25 edge in kills, outhit Alfred, .069 to .066, and held a 7-5 advantage in blocks.
The difference came at the service line, where Alfred registered 18 aces compared to six for the Bloodhounds.
Mullan and Hobson paced the John Jay attack with six kills apiece. Mullan added two service aces and three block assists, while Hobson handed out a team-high 14 assists and added seven digs.
MacInnes chipped in five kills, while Martinez anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs.
Shamyra Herrera led John Jay at the net with four total blocks, including one solo rejection. Mittauer contributed four kills, six assists, five digs and a service ace.
The Bloodhounds came out quickly in the opening set, scoring five of the first six points to take a 5-1 advantage. John Jay continued its strong start and extended the margin to 8-2 before Alfred began to chip away.
The Saxons eventually erased the deficit and tied the frame at 14-14, setting up a back-and-forth finish. Alfred moved ahead 22-20 before MacInnes delivered a service ace and Hobson followed with a kill to bring John Jay even at 22-22. The Saxons responded by earning two straight points for a 24-22 advantage, but the Bloodhounds fought off both set points.
Consecutive Alfred attack errors brought the score even once again at 24-24. Alfred answered with the final two points, including a kill from Cara Bratthauar, to escape with the opening set, 26-24.
The Saxons seized control early in the second. With the score tied at 2-2, Madalynn McGowan served during an 11-point Alfred run that opened a 13-2 advantage.
John Jay attempted to work its way back into the set behind kills from Hobson and Mullan along with service aces from both players, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome as Alfred took the frame, 25-13.
The Bloodhounds battled again in the third. Alfred built a 13-9 advantage before John Jay closed the gap. A Saxon attack error and a Mittauer service ace helped the Bloodhounds pull within one at 14-13.
Alfred responded with an 8-0 run to open a 22-13 advantage, but John Jay refused to go quietly.
The Bloodhounds answered with a 7-1 surge. Cascapera, Mullan and Hobson each delivered kills during the run, while Mullan and Hobson combined for a block as John Jay cut the deficit to 23-20.
Alfred stopped the comeback by taking the final two points for a 25-20 victory to close out the match.
For Alfred, Carleigh Santavy recorded a match-high seven kills and three service aces, while Bratthauar added six kills while hitting .556. McGowan finished with five of the Saxons' 18 aces and collected 16 digs.
The Bloodhounds resume CUNYAC play on Tuesday, September 29, as they will take on Medgar Evers at LaGuardia Community College.
First-serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
