The volleyball team won three out of four matches at Ben Light Gymnasium this weekend as host of the Empire 8 Crossover Tournament.

The Bombers first match on Saturday was against Utica College. Coming off their dominate performance against SUNY-Oneonta on Tuesday, the Blue and Gold rallied to a 3–0 sweep over the Pioneers. Young talent stepped up to help ensure the victory. Freshman Chelsea Hayes led the offense with 11 kills, while freshman Elizabeth Previte, recorded six blocks for the defense.

Game two of Saturday’s action for the Bombers resulted in a win over Hartwick College. All three sets in the match were within five points, but the South Hill squad managed to sweep the Hawks 3–0. Junior Jen Heberton recorded 20 kills, while sophomore Tina Orlandini posted 19 digs in the match.

On day two of the Empire 8 Crossover Tournament, the Bombers took on Alfred University and Stevens Institute of Technology. The Saxons took the first set of the match, 25–22, with help from junior Emily Steen’s nine kills. But the Blue and Gold rebounded and rallied to win the next three sets. The Bombers posted a season high 17 serving aces in the match, including six from senior Brianna D’Errico. The win brought the teams overall record to 17–15 on the season and also marked the first four-game win streak for the Blue and Gold since late August. “We’re definitely flowing better as a team,” sophomore Tina Orlandini said. “It’s just better chemistry.”

Head Coach Janet Donovan was also impressed with the way the team played. “[The players] are starting to do some things that we have been trying to get them to do all season; they are playing more consistently,” she said.

But Donovan and the players alike knew that they would need to be at their absolute best if they wanted to beat the Stevens Ducks. Leading up to the game, nationally ranked Stevens had never lost an Empire 8 match, but the Bombers were confident they could break that streak.

“We went three and zero which was really good,” senior Brianna D’Errico said. “Now we’re up against Stevens which is going to be a hard match but hopefully those three games will carry over and we can take Stevens.”

The Ducks came out strong, knowing that a win ensured the Empire 8 title for the second consecutive season. With the extra motivation, the visitors managed to beat the South Hill squad in their final match by scores of 25–8, 25–13, 25–19.

“I think overall the weekend went as we expected it to,” junior Corinna Doctor said. “Stevens is a great team.”

Despite falling to Stevens, the South Hill squad’s final home games of the season showed hope for the rest of the season.

“We’re still young so it was a good experience,” Donovan said. “They gave it their best shot; it’s just Stevens was the better team today.”

With the loss, the Bombers finished the season in fifth place in the Empire 8 conference and are unable to compete in the Empire 8 Volleyball Championship next weekend.

The Bombers will take on New York University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College, and SUNY-Brockport this weekend at the New York State Regional Challenge at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y.