POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Skidmore College women's volleyball team split its Saturday doubleheader at Alumni Gymnasium, falling to Clarkson 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 21-25, 17-25) in its Liberty League opener before rebounding with a 3-0 sweep of SUNY Potsdam (25-14, 25-21, 25-22). The Thoroughbreds finished the day 8-5 for the season.
MATCH 1 – Clarkson 3, Skidmore 1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17)
- Chloe Heitman powered the Skidmore attack with a team-high 16 kills. Oia Hughes was efficient in the middle with eight kills and no errors on 14 attacks for a .571 hitting percentage, while Katy O'Connell added eight kills.
- Catriona Hoelperl posted a double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs. Marlowe McIntyre led the Thoroughbreds with 16 digs and added two service aces as Skidmore finished with eight aces as a team.
- Clarkson hit .262 with 62 kills, compared to 39 kills and a .157 hitting percentage for Skidmore.
- Four Golden Knights were in double figures in kills. Ainslie Reimer led with 14 put-downs with eight digs.
- The Golden Knights opened the match with a 9-3 advantage and maintained control through the first set on the way to a 25-19 win.
- Skidmore answered in a tightly contested second set that featured eight ties. Trailing 22-21, the Thoroughbreds rattled off the final four points. Gabriella Imburgia supplied a solo block to put Skidmore ahead before Heitman delivered consecutive kills to close the 25-22 win.
- Clarkson created separation midway through the third, turning a 9-9 tie into a 15-10 advantage before holding off Skidmore, 25-21.
- The Thoroughbreds pulled within 20-17 late in the fourth with three consecutive points, capped by a McIntyre ace and a block from O'Connell and Heitman. Clarkson responded with the final five points to finish the match.
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MATCH 2 – Skidmore 3, Potsdam 0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-22)
- Natalie Pedersen led Skidmore with nine kills and just one error on 22 attacks for a .364 hitting percentage despite playing only two sets. O'Connell added seven kills, while Claire Sabo finished with five kills on .333 hitting.
- McIntyre anchored the defense with a match-high 15 digs and fired four of Skidmore's nine service aces. Malana Noble added 13 digs, five kills and an ace.
- Hoelperl handed out 20 assists after recording 33 against Clarkson, while Emma Ferrigno added 10 assists and two aces. Hoelperl's 53 assists on the day bring her to 418 in 2026 and 1,864 for her career.
- Skidmore held Potsdam to a .000 hitting percentage and finished with a 9-1 advantage in service aces.
- The Thoroughbreds jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opener. Potsdam worked back within 12-11, but Skidmore answered with seven straight points to break the set open before rolling to the 25-14 win.
- Skidmore erased a 7-5 deficit in the second with six unanswered points. After Potsdam later closed to 17-16, the Thoroughbreds scored five straight, including back-to-back Ferrigno aces, to build a 22-16 cushion. The Bears made another late push before Skidmore closed out the 25-21 victory.
- McIntyre took over from the service line in the third, serving a 10-point run that transformed a 3-2 deficit into a 12-3 Skidmore lead. The surge included two McIntyre aces. Potsdam battled back to 24-22, but Pedersen hammered the match-clinching kill on Skidmore's third match point to complete the sweep.
UP NEXT
Skidmore returns home Saturday, Oct. 3 to host Ithaca at 2 p.m. at the Williamson Sports Center as part of Homecoming Weekend.
