Skidmore College Athletics

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's volleyball team swept both ends of Saturday's home tri-match, defeating Russell Sage 25-17, 25-19, 27-25 before celebrating its six-member senior class and rolling past Plattsburgh State 25-17, 25-18, 25-18 at the Williamson Sports Center. The pair of straight-set victories improved the Thoroughbreds to 7-3.
 
MATCH 1 – Skidmore 3, Russell Sage 0 (25-17, 25-19, 27-25)

• Skidmore hit .286 for the match with 45 kills against just 13 errors. Chloe Heitman led the way with 12 kills on .370 hitting, while Claire Sabo put down seven kills without an error on 12 swings for a .583 hitting percentage. Gabriella Imburgia added seven kills.
• Catriona Hoelperl posted a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs to go along with two service aces. Marlowe McIntyre had a team-high 12 digs and two aces, while Cece Kilroy delivered a match-high four aces.
• The Thoroughbreds trailed 11-7 in the opening set before rattling off seven consecutive points to seize a 14-11 lead. Skidmore stayed in front from there and closed out the 25-17 win.
• Skidmore created separation in the second with four straight points to turn a 13-11 advantage into a 17-11 cushion. Imburgia supplied three consecutive kills during the burst as the Thoroughbreds moved ahead two sets to none.
• Russell Sage pushed the third set beyond regulation after erasing Skidmore set points at 24-22 and 25-24. With the score tied at 25, Katy O'Connell put down the go-ahead kill before combining the clinching point with a block to give Skidmore the 27-25 victory and sweep.

 
MATCH 2 – Skidmore 3, Plattsburgh State 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-18)

• Skidmore turned in its strongest offensive showing of the day, hitting .347 with 46 kills against 11 errors. The Thoroughbreds held Plattsburgh State to a .129 hitting percentage and finished with advantages of 46-28 in kills, 52-36 in digs and 7-2 in service aces.
• Heitman again paced the offense with 11 kills on .400 hitting. Imburgia was nearly perfect with eight kills and no errors on 11 attacks for a .727 hitting percentage, while Kilroy added seven kills. Manning and Oia Hughes each finished with six.
• Hoelperl distributed 25 assists, served three aces and collected eight digs. Ferrigno added 14 assists, while McIntyre anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs.
• The Thoroughbreds established control early in the opener, building an 8-2 advantage before hitting .385 in the 25-17 win.
• Plattsburgh led 16-14 midway through the second before Skidmore completely flipped the set with nine unanswered points. Hoelperl delivered two aces during the surge as the Thoroughbreds raced ahead 23-16 and closed out the frame, 25-18.
• The Cardinals stayed within a point at 15-14 in the third, but Skidmore scored eight of the next 10 points to pull away to a 23-16 advantage. The Thoroughbreds finished off another 25-18 win to complete the Senior Day sweep.
• Liya Girma led Plattsburgh with nine kills and nine digs.

 
 
SENIOR DAY

• Prior to the Plattsburgh State match, Skidmore recognized its six seniors: Athena Braverman, Emma Ferrigno, Gabriella Imburgia, Catriona Hoelperl, Madison Manning and Phoebe Yang.

 
UP NEXT
Skidmore heads to Middlebury on Tuesday, Sept. 22 for a 7 p.m. match. Liberty League play commences next weekend at Clarkson.