Lakers Complete Trip to the Jefferson Invitational

WATERTOWN, N.Y. - The Finger Lakes Community College women's volleyball team traveled to compete in the Jefferson Invitational hosted by Jefferson Community College on Saturday, September 3rd. The Lakers came away 2-1 in tournament play, defeating Monroe Community College and Mohawk Valley Community College, 3 sets to none. The team would find themselves faced off against a 5th nationally ranked opponent in the early season, matching up against the #8 Fulton-Montgomery Community College Raiders who the Lakers would drop their matchup to, 2-1. 

Lakers vs. Mohawk Valley CC

The Lakers would come away with the 3-0 win in dominant fashion. The Lakers would take the first set, 25-4, followed by a second set victory of 25-8. The team would finish out the sweep in the third set, 25-11.

Freshman Brooke DeGroff (Castile, N.Y./ Letchworth) would lead all performers on the day with 23.5 points, with 11 kills, 10 aces, 1 dig, and 2 block solos. Sophomore teammate Kayla Fetcie (Victor, N.Y./ Victor) followed DeGroff's performance with 9 points, adding 5 kills, 4 aces, and 1 dig. Freshman Adriana Botello (Holley, N.Y./ Holley) continued to rack up the assists for the team, adding in 21 against the Hawks to go along with 7 digs. Freshman Olivia Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./ East Irondequoit) compiled 5 points, thanks to 1 kill, 4 aces, and 6 digs in the contest. 

Freshman Annielys Astacio (Rochester, N.Y./ James Monroe) and Sage Barnedo (Silver Springs, M.D./ Springbrook) each played two sets in the matchup. Astacio would in 2 kills, while Barnedo accumulated 1 kill, 8 assists, 2 aces, and 2 digs. Kierstin Comerford (Geneva, N.Y./ Geneva) finished with 3 digs, Kaidyn VanDelinder added 3 kills to the team's tally, Megan Sanford (Campbell, N.Y./ Campbell-Savona) added 6 points with 5 kills and 1 block solo, and Meghan Johnson (Phelps, N.Y./ Newark) finished out the day with 1 kill, 1 ace and 4 digs on the day.

Lakers vs. Fulton-Montgomery CC

The Lakers would find stiff competition against the Raiders. The Lakers would take the momentum from their previous match to take the first set, 25-21. However, the Raiders would put together a consistent performance to hold the Lakers off in sets two and three with 25-18 and 25-22 victories to finish the match in the final two sets. 

Freshman Brooke DeGroff continued her dominant performance on the day, adding 10 kills, 2 aces, and 7 digs in the match. Freshman teammate Megan Sanford would follow with 5 kills, 1 block solo, and 2 block assists. Sophomores Kayla Fetcie and Meghan Johnson would combine for 10 kills, 8 digs, and 2 block assists in the game. 

Lakers vs. Monroe CC

The team would finish their day off with a win against the Monroe Community College Tribunes, sweeping the team 3 sets to none. 

Freshman Olivia Sheehan and Brooke DeGroff continued to shine in the tournament's final game. Sheehan compiled 4 aces and 22 digs, while DeGroff added in 10 kills, 2 aces, and 7 digs. Sophomore teammates Meghan Johnson and Kayla Fetcie would play all three sets of the game. Fetcie added in 3 kills, 4 aces, and 1 dig, while Johnson would add in 5 kills, 2 aces, and 8 digs, good for a combined 13 points.

The Lakers concluded the tournament successfully, coming away with 2 wins to 1 loss. The team will return to play next Tuesday, September 6th for their home opener against Jefferson Community College at 6pm. The team will look to claim another National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III win in the match.