Cortland Win Streak at 10 After Pair of Victories to Open Misericordia Tourney
DALLAS, PA. – Cortland extended its winning streak to 10 matches with victories over York College of Pennsylvania, 3-1, and Misericordia University, 3-0, during the opening evening of Misericordia's Cougar Clash. The Red Dragons (13-3) wrap up the tournament Saturday with matches against Valley Forge at 1 p.m. and Elizabethtown at 3 p.m. Cortland defeated York 25-19, 25-18, 14-25, 25-21 as five Red Dragons recorded at least five kills. Hannah Southcott (Princeton, WV) finished with eight kills and 12 digs, Nadia Moore (Durham, NC/Durham School of the Arts) and Maya Owens (Nyack) each had seven kills, and Bridgette Moran (Massapequa Park/St. John the Baptist) and Camryn Anderson (Bronx/Cardinal Spellman) registered five kills each. Anderson finished with a .625 attack percentage (no errors in eight attempts) and Owens had a .286 attack percentage (one error in 21 attempts). Gabby Amelio (Pine Bush) led the Red Dragons with five aces and 12 assists and Carly Haegele (Commack) rang up 10 assists and a team-high 14 digs. Madyson Whitcomb led York (4-7) with 12 kills with just one error in 17 attempts for a .647 attack percentage, along with five blocks. Tyler Williams added 11 kills and five blocks. The first set was tied at 16 before Cortland rattled off five straight points, including two Amelio aces and kills by Cat Mangogna (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) and Moore. The lead remained at three or more the rest of the set. The second set was also tied at 16 before the Red Dragons used another 5-0 run to take control. Moore and Moran had kills and Haegele added an ace during that stretch. York used a decisive 9-0 run to turn a 13-11 lead into an insurmountable 22-11 margin in the third set. The Spartans seemed to be continuing that momentum into the fourth set with a 14-7 lead, but Cortland went on a 12-2 run to go up 19-16. The teams basically traded the points the rest of the way as the Red Dragons held on for the victory. Cortland trailed only once in its three sets versus Misericordia – at 1-0 to start the third set. Despite that fact, the host Cougars (12-5) trailed only 22-18 in the first set and were down just 12-10 in the second set before Cortland took control. The Red Dragons led 11-9 before going on an 8-1 run, and they finished the match on a 5-0 streak. Southcott paced Cortland in the win with 10 kills, while Owens had nine kills and no errors in 21 attempts for a .429 attack percentage. Malley Bowen (Tioga/Tioga Central) led the team with 17 assists, followed by Amelio with nine, and Heagele served four of Cortland's nine aces and led the squad with 18 digs. Moore and Moran paced the defensive effort with four blocks apiece. Faith Merritt, Karley May and Fiona Pyfer had seven kills each for the hosts.