FINAL SCORE: #3 Alfred State College 0, #4 SUNY Canton 3
FIRST SET: 23-25| SECOND SET: 13-25| THIRD SET: 24-26
LOCATION: Convention, Athletics, Recreation Center (CARC), SUNY Canton
TOURNAMENT RECORDS: Alfred State College 3-4, SUNY Canton 6-1
ON THE COURT: In the third place match of the 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship, the #4 SUNY Canton Kangaroos defeated the #3 Alfred State College Pioneers in three straight sets, 3-0 (23-25, 13-25, 24-26), to claim the 3rd place plaque.
In the first set of the match, the Kangaroos threw the first 'punch' as they scored the first four points of the set, however, the Pioneers countered with four points of their own to tie the set at four apiece. The teams traded points before the Kangaroos rattled off a 4-0 run to take their largest lead of the set, 12-7. The Pioneers continued the fight back and eventually tied the set at 20, yet the Kangaroos countered with resiliency to score three straight points. The set featured two ties, but the Pioneers could never take the lead and fell in the first set, 23-25.
Set two began with Alfred State College scoring the first points and taking their first lead of the match. Each team traded points to a 10-10 tie, but the Kangaroos brought their play up a notch as they scored four points to force an Alfred State timeout. However, it did not slow the momentum for the Kangaroos. SUNY Canton ended the set on a 13-2 run to win the set, 13-25, and go up 2-0 in the match.
Not going out quietly, the Pioneers struck first in the third set to take a 9-3 lead over the Kangaroos and force a timeout by SUNY Canton's head coach, Carol LaMarche. The Pioneers continued their efficient offense and created the largest lead of the set with a 15-7 lead. However, with the Pioneers leading the set 24-18 and needing just one point for the set victory, they would not score another point. The Kangaroos scored eight straight points to come from behind and win the set, 24-26, and the match, 3-0, to earn 3rd place in the 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Jessica Reynolds led the Kangaroos with 8 kills on 26 total attacks and 13 digs
- First Team All-American, Morgan Bills, had a team-high 10 kills for the Kangaroos
- First Team All-American, Kay Pfleghardt, led the Pioneers with 12 kills. She also added 13 digs
- Freshmen, Valerie Intini, recorded a team-high 28 assists for the Pioneers
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Jessica Reynolds, SUNY Canton
NEXT UP: The SUNY Canton Kangaroos finished the 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship in 3rd place with a season record of 27-7 and a tournament record of 6-1. Alfred State College finishes the National Championship in 4th place and a season record of 25-8 and a tournament record of 3-4
