HUNTER LEINHART
Special to The Leader
The Blue Devils female volleyball team completed victory over Oneonta, Cortland and Potsdam this weekend to remain undefeated in the SUNYAC conference.
On Friday night, the Blue Devils triumphed over Oneonta in the first three games of the match, the scores being 25-22, 25-19 and 25-20. Standout players for the Blue Devils included juniors Jessica DiChristopher, who had an astounding 13 kills; Paulina Rein, who added six kills; Lauren Hokaj, who added four service aces on offense and 24 digs on defense; and Kelly Edinger, adding 30 assists.
“Jess gave us a strong advantage at the net. Oneonta did a good job of blocking the left side, but we were able to score everywhere else,” Coach Geoff Braun stated after the game. The trio of victories carried the Blue Devils into Saturday with a 4-0 SUNYAC record and a record of 16-7 overall.
Early Saturday, the Blue Devils faced Cortland where they again won all three games to win the overall match without struggle. The scores were 25-12, 25-16 and 25-18.
For Fredonia, Sara Madison led the offensive scoring with 11 kills, Rein had 10 kills and DiChristopher had seven kills. Also from the Blue Devils, Hokaj had 14 digs and Edinger had 31 assists. DiChristopher also had three service aces and nine blocks at the net.
Later on Saturday, the Blue Devils swept Potsdam in three games with ease, just as they did for the two previous matches. The scores of the three games against Potsdam were 25-13, 25-15 and 25-20. Madison led the Blue Devils for the second game in a row with nine kills, and she was matched by DiChristopher who also had nine kills, as well as four block assists. Other key players for the Blue Devils included Edinger who had 24 assists and four block assists, Kristen Stanek who had four service aces and Hojak who had 17 digs on defense.
“We were pretty consistent today, which is what we’ve been striving for,” stated Braun after the game. “We seem to be more focused and we’re making adjustments during matches more easily”.
Rising to 18-7 overall and 6-0 in the conference, the Blue Devils will resume SUNYAC pool play on Friday, Oct. 24, at Dods Hall as they take on New Paltz.