Volleyball Team in Sole Possession of First Place in YSCC
The Paul Smith's College women's volleyball team beat up on Great Bay CC over the weekend and took a close one against Central Maine CC to gain sole possession of first place in the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC). After cruising by Great Bay on straight sets, the Bobcats had to "dig" deep to pull off the victory against the Central Maine Mustangs.
The first 3 sets (which were all decided by 2 points) resulted in a deficit of 2-1 for Paul Smith's College, but a come-from-behind win was in store for the Lady Bobcats. Sets 4 and 5 would be all-PSC, with the 4th set going 25-12 and the 5th and final deciding set going 15-6 in favor of the Bobcats. Alexandra Cherry (Grasonville, MD) and Jordan Louis (Navajo, NM) each had 16 kills in the match, with Madeleine Rhodes (Charlotte, NC) adding 15 of her own. Set specialist Avrielle "V" Fletcher (Ovid, NY) had a whopping 47 assists in the match with a perfect set-to-hit ratio. The whole team combined for an impressive 117 digs against the Mustangs, giving new meaning to the phrase "dig deep."
Head Coach Bridget McCormick offered praise for her team's perseverance in the game. "The outcome of that game is what we have been working so hard to accomplish. Even though we were exhausted from the first match against Great Bay, we carried on and kept our undefeated standing in conference by winning our final match of the day. Overall, the competition was excellent, and all matches were fun." The Bobcats face off against Central Maine again on October 16th, a game that McCormick said she is "looking forward to."
Paul Smith's College has now beaten every team in the YSCC resulting in the team standing alone at the top of the league. They are currently ranked 8th in the nation in USCAA Division II. With terrific play from multiple members, the team looks keen to make a deep run into not only the YSCC Championships, but the USCAA Division II National Tournament next month.
Paced by Alexandra Cherry, Jordan Louis, and newcomer Madeleine Rhodes, the Bobcats have unloaded a lethal offense against league opponents so far. Their league record stands at 4-0 and a mark of 6-2 overall, with their only losses coming against NCAA Division III opponents. Cherry, Louis, and Rhodes are in the top 5 in multiple YSCC offensive stat categories, and Avrielle "V" Fletcher (Ovid, NY) is dominating everyone in the assist category with an outstanding 204 helpers. In addition, Cherry was named back-to-back player of the week for the YSCC in women's volleyball.
The Bobcats head to Concord, NH this coming weekend to face off against league rivals NHTI and Southern Maine CC. Game times are 12pm and 1:30pm, respectively, at the NHTI Goldie Crocker Wellness Center Gymnasium.