Women's Volleyball Struggles in Opening Round Match

CEDAR RAPIDS, IW. - The Finger Lakes Community College women's volleyball team opened up the NJCAA Division III National Tournament against the defending national champion College of DuPage Chapparals. 

The Lakers would open set one a step behind, allowing the Chapparals to earn a sizeable early lead. Despite a late rally in the set by the Lakers, the Chapparals would take set one, 25-17. The Chapparals would jump to an early 7-1 lead in set two and never looked backed as they walked away with a dominant 25-10 win. The third set was a similar tone as the Lakers struggled to find their rhythm, dropping the third set, 25-14. With the loss, the Lakers will enter consolation play tomorrow Friday, November 10th with a time and opponent to be determined. 

Sophomore Brooke DeGroff (Castile, N.Y./Letchworth) shined in the attack with 7 kills on 15 attempts, good for an efficient .400 hitting percentage. DeGroff would add to her tally on the service with 2 aces and on defense with 6 digs. Freshman teammate Payton Stoddard (Bloomfield, N.Y./Bloomfield) helped facilitate the Lakers offense with 17 kills while contributing on defense with 7 digs. 

Freshman Michelina Williams (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) stood tall in the back row, adding 8 digs to her tally to accompany a service ace, kill, and assist apiece. Freshman teammates Jordan Winton (Sherburne, N.Y./Sherburne-Earlville) and Leah Williams (Olean, N.Y./Olean) complimented the Lakers' offense with 4 and 6 kills respectively. 

Freshman Bridget Miller (Seneca Falls, N.Y./Mynderse) made several impressive digs to keep the Lakers rolling, finishing with 4 on the night. 

Visit the NJCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament page to see the most up-to-date information on the tournament: https://www.njcaa.org/championships/sports/wvball/div3/index.