North Country Season Opener (hosted by Clarkson University/St. Lawrence University)

Participating Teams
Brockport (Record in 2015: 34-2)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

Central (Record in 2015: 15-18)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

#20 Clarkson (Record in 2015: 30-9)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

Ithaca (Record in 2015: 31-5)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

#3 Juniata (Record in 2015: 33-3)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

Oneonta State (Record in 2015: 18-14)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

Roger Williams (Record in 2015: 19-12)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

St. Lawrence (Record in 2015: 17-18)
Roster Schedule 2015 Statistics

Schedule - Friday, September 2nd
(at Clarkson University)

12:00 noon - Oneonta State vs. Clarkson
Results: Clarkson 3, Oneonta State 2
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Clarkson 25, Oneonta State 11
Set 2: Oneonta State 25, Clarkson 23
Set 3: Clarkson 25, Oneonta State 11
Set 4: Oneonta State 25, Clarkson 19
Set 5: Clarkson 18, Oneonta State 16

Game Story: The final set truly had Clarkson on its collective heels as the Knights trailed by five points late (12-7, 13-8) before finding a way to squeak out some extra points as the match neared completion. That little extra push turned out to be enough as the team maintained its streak of wins on its home floor.

Rachael Aird finished with 26 kills and a .340 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks and five digs. Freshman Rachel Reusch scored eight kills with just one error in 15 swings and Katrina Lane contributed nine kills. Kate Isaksen had 26 digs and Jillian Saenz produced 46 assists as well as a 5-0-10 line on attacks. For Oneonta, two players reached double figures in kills, with Paige Carpluk producing 12 and Erika Corbin tossing in 10. Constance Krause also had nine kills and Jessica Pelaccio had 37 assists and 10 digs. Carpluk and Sara Feldman each had 11 digs to lead the Red Dragons.

2:45 pm (approximate) - Roger Williams vs. Juniata
Results: Juniata 3, Roger Williams 0
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Juniata 25, Roger Williams 9
Set 2: Juniata 25, Roger Williams 11
Set 3: Juniata 25, Roger Williams 16

Game Story: Juniata utilized a quick attack from a number of angles to keep the Hawks guessing and were able to keep the mistakes to the minimum in a three-set sweep in the second match of the North Country Season Opener. The Eagles offensive blasted from numerous spots in the first set, hitting .560 with just a single error in 25 swings, not allowing Roger Williams to get in much of a rhythm. Though the offensive pace for the Eagles cooled in the second and third sets (.333 and .400, respectively), it was more enough to pick up the victory.

For Juniata, Nakita Gearhart struck for nine kills while Megan Moroney and Suzanne Gloeckler each contribuged eight kills. Kelly Reynolds delivered 33 assists and Katie Byrne contributed 21 digs. Megan Conger also recorded three aces for Juniata. The Hawks were led by Kristen Boyer's five kills, and Emiley Melillo had 12 assists. Maria Batas reached double figures with 10 digs.

5:00 pm - Roger Williams vs. Central
Results: Roger Williams 3, Central 1
Set 1: Central 25, Roger Williams 15
Set 2: Roger Williams 25, Central 18
Set 3: Roger Williams 25, Central 18
Set 4: Roger Williams 25, Central 17

Game Brief: Roger Williams was down early in the fourth set and it looked like the third match of the day might be headed to a fifth set, but a strong run of serving by both Sarah McAniff and Maria Batas in the final half of the fourth set proved to be too much for the Dutch to handle.

7:30 pm - Central vs. Clarkson
Results: Clarkson 3, Central 0
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Clarkson 25, Central 21
Set 2: Clarkson 25, Central 17
Set 3: Clarkson 25, Central 12

Game Story: Clarkson used its momentum from the last match, in addition to a five-hour break, to claim a three-set win over Central College in the final match of the day at the tournament. Each set got progressively more lopsided, though the Dutch won the first three points of the third set and appeared ready to push the match to extra time. Clarkson rattled off the next six points and then utilized a strong block to get numerous tallies down the stretch to double up the Dutch in the final set.

Rachael Aird again had a strong match with 19 kills and nine digs, while Kendall Cheval had six kills and 12 digs. Rachel Reusch produced seven kills in 15 swings with just one error and also had a pair of block assists and Savannah Peters added four block assists. Jillian Saenz recorded 31 assists and Kate Isaksen had 20 digs.  For Central, Kylie Gerstein, Ellie Stoakes and Jenna Dillie each had five kills and Chapel Carter had 17 assists. Nicole Ewoldt had a team-best 14 digs.

(at St. Lawrence University)
Court 1
4:00 pm - Oneonta State vs. St. Lawrence
Results: Oneonta State 3, St. Lawrence 0
Set 1: Oneonta State 27, St. Lawrence 25
Set 2: Oneonta State 25, St. Lawrence 14
Set 3: Oneonta State 25, St. Lawrence 20

6:30 pm - Ithaca vs. St. Lawrence
Results: Ithaca 3, St. Lawrence 0
Set 1: Ithaca 25, St. Lawrence 21
Set 2: Ithaca 25, St. Lawrence 23
Set 3: Ithaca 25, St. Lawrence 14

Court 2
4:00 pm - Brockport vs. Ithaca
Results: Brockport 3, Ithaca 0
Set 1: Brockport 25, Ithaca 17
Set 2: Brockport 25, Ithaca 16
Set 3: Brockport 25, Ithaca 16

6:30 pm - Brockport vs. Juniata
Results: Juniata 3, Brockport 1
Set 1: Brockport 31, Juniata 29
Set 2: Juniata 25, Brockport 20
Set 3: Juniata 25, Brockport 22
Set 4: Juniata 25, Brockport 14

Schedule - Saturday, September 3rd
(at Clarkson University)
10:00 am - Brockport vs. Central
Results: Brockport 3, Central 2
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Central 25, Brockport 19
Set 2: Central 25, Brockport 19
Set 3: Brockport 25, Central 14
Set 4: Brockport 25, Central 14
Set 5: Brockport 15, Central 9

Game Story: In the first match of day two of the North Country Season Opener, Central raced out to a two set lead before Brockport and recovered to gain a five-set victory over the Dutch.

The match was highlighted by strong efforts from the service line. In the first set, it was Central’s Nicole Ewoldt who was able to turn a 19-18 lead into a 25-19 win by keeping the Golden Eagles off balance. In the second set, Brockport led early, but the Dutch were able to rattle off the final eight points of the set, flip-flopping a 19-17 deficit into a 25-19 win. The third set saw Brockport finally get its offense in gear as middle hitter Brianna Richardson recorded a couple of kills early to give the Golden Eagles some confidence. That momentum never wavered as Brockport won 25-14 in the third, a score that was repeated in the fourth set thanks to eight straight winning points with Aimee Spilman at the service line. In the final set, the two teams were tied at 8-8, but several hitting errors from Central allowed Brockport to edge out late and the Golden Eagles won by six.

12:30 pm - Juniata vs. Clarkson
Results: Juniata 3, Clarkson 1
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Juniata 25, Clarkson 20
Set 2: Juniata 28, Clarkson 26
Set 3: Clarkson 25, Juniata 18
Set 4: Juniata 25, Clarkson 13

Game Story: The second set proved to be a toss up and it put the Golden Knights in a 2-0 hole in which they were unable to crawl out. The first set was fairly tight, but in the waning moments the Eagles were able to get kills from Nakita Gearhart and Rachel Boe to claim a 25-20 win. In set two, Clarkson jumped out to an early lead, up by as many as seven midway through the set, Juniata knotted things up late and the two teams traded points for quite a stretch as neither could get the two point advantage needed for the win. Clarkson was the first to 23 and 24, but Juniata was the first to 25, 26, 27, and 28, the score that proved to be enough to win the set. On the other end of the spectrum, the third set saw Clarkson scored 11 straight points, most of which came on a strong run from the service line by Jillian Saenz, turning an 18-14 deficit into a 25-18 win. The fourth set, however, was lopsided in for the Eagles as they nearly doubled up the Knights, 25-13. The loss for Clarkson was their first at home since August 29, 2014 (top-ranked Calvin College), a stretch of 21 matches. 

Christine Irwin scored 15 kills and Nakita Gearhart added 13 kills for the Eagles, while Kelly Reynolds posted a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs. Katie Byrne and Korin Koehler contributed 23 and 16 digs, respectively, on defense for Juniata. For Clarkson, Rachael Aird picked up 14 kills and added three block assists, while Rachel Reusch produced 12 kills and four total blocks, including three solo efforts. Katrina Lane chipped in eight kills and Jillian Saenz had 38 assists and three aces. Defensively, Kate Isaksen had 27 digs, Kendall Cheval had 12 digs, and Sierra Rhoades produced 10 digs.

3:20 pm - Ithaca vs. Juniata
Results: Juniata 3, Ithaca 2
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Juniata 25, Ithaca 16
Set 2: Junaita 25, Ithaca 14
Set 3: Ithaca 25, Juniata 20
Set 4: Ithaca 25, Juniata 21
Set 5: Juniata 15, Ithaca 11

Game Story: Perhaps the most surprising result of the tournament came in one of the middle Saturday matches between Juniata and Ithaca. Not because of the final outcome, with the Eagles winning in five sets, but because of how Juniata easily handled the Bombers in the first two sets only to see Ithaca come back and win the next two sets. The Eagles assured themselves of an unbeaten mark in the tournament as they outlasted Ithaca 15-11 in the fifth set.

Suzanne Gloekler was a force from the outside for Juniata, hitting .448 with 16 kills against just three errors in 29 swings. Glenn Brumm added in 12 kills and Nakita Gearhart had 10 more kills. Kelly Reynolds had 45 assists and 11 digs, while Katie Byrne produced 15 digs and four assists. Brumm also had eight digs and four aces to go along with her 12 kills.

For Ithaca, Joelle Goldstein recorded 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, but it was Ithaca's two middles that did the most damage, as Amanda Cerruti and Katie Evans combined for 20 kills with only four errors in 34 swings for a .471 hitting percentage. Kayla Gromen had 21 assists and nine digs and Caitlyn Floyd had 16 assists. Tara Stilwell led the team defensively with 20 digs, while outside hitter Taylor McCarthy also recorded 15 digs. 

6:10 pm - Ithaca vs. Clarkson
Results: Ithaca 3, Clarkson 0
BOX SCORE
Set 1: Ithaca 25, Clarkson 23
Set 2: Ithaca 25, Clarkson 22
Set 3: Ithaca 25, Clarkson 20

Game Story: The marquee match up for the weekend for Clarkson, with all apologies to third-ranked Juniata, was its rematch against Ithaca College, a team that Clarkson faced in the NCAA Regional Semifinals last October. The Bombers got some mark of revenge by taking down the Knights in three sets. Though Ithaca won all three games, the match easily could have gone in Clarkson's favor. In the first set, the Knights led by a point late (19-18), but saw Ithaca score three straight to take a two-point lead. Clarkson climbed back to tie the score at 23-23, but the Bombers received a pair of kills from Joelle Goldstein to win the final two points of the set. In set number two, Clarkson led by two points late (22-20) following a kill and an ace from Kendall Cheval, but Ithaca scored the final five points thanks to kills from Katie Evans, Amanda Cerruti and Caroline Gerulskis. In what proved to be the final set, Ithaca raced out to a 10-2 lead and led by as many as eight (21-13) late in the set, but the Knights came back to within four on three occasions before finally falling by five.

Joelle Goldstein led Ithaca with 10 kills and just a single error in 26 swings, while adding in 14 digs and four blocks, including two solos. Tara Stilwell had 23 digs and an ace, but that statistic didn't do the sophomore libero justice from the service line as she kept Clarkson off balance. Caitlyn Floyd and Kayla Gromen split setting duties, combining for 28 assists. For Clarkson, Rachael Aird had eight kills and three block assists to lead the way on offense. Jillian Saenz had 25 assists and Kate Isaksen scored 26 digs. 

(at St. Lawrence University)
Court 1
1:30 pm - Roger Williams vs. St. Lawrence
Results: Roger Williams 3, St. Lawrence 0
Set 1: Roger Williams 25, St. Lawrence 23
Set 2: Roger Williams 25, St. Lawrence 21
Set 3: Roger Williams 25, St. Lawrence 7

4:00 pm - Brockport vs. St. Lawrence
Results: Brockport 3, St. Lawrence 0
Set 1: Brockport 25, St. Lawrence 17
Set 2: Brockport 25, St. Lawrence 15
Set 3: Brockport 25, St. Lawrence 21

Court 2
1:30 pm - Central vs. Oneonta State
Results: Central 3, Oneonta State 2
Set 1: Oneonta State 25, Central 18
Set 2: Oneonta State 27, Central 25
Set 3: Central 25, Oneonta State 10
Set 4: Central 25, Oneonta State 23
Set 5: Central 18, Oneonta State 16

4:00 pm - Oneonta State vs. Roger Williams
Results: Roger Williams 3, Oneonta State 0
Set 1: Roger Williams 25, Oneonta State 18
Set 2: Roger Williams 25, Oneonta State 23
Set 3: Roger WIlliams 25, Oneonta State 21