Senior Sweep!!!

Paul Smiths, NY ~ The Paul Smith's College women's volleyball team has been on fire recently, and this past Saturday's quad match during Homecoming and Family Weekend showed the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) that they mean business.  The Bobcats are not only undefeated through their last seven games, they haven't lost a single set in that timespan.  Since their defeat to Central Maine CC on September 9th the Bobcats have turned things around in a big way, and two people who were celebrated on Saturday are a big reason for that.

Seniors Alli Cherry (Grasonville, MD) and Avrielle "V" Fletcher (Ovid, NY) were celebrated on Saturday in front of one of the largest crowds Saunders Gymnasium has seen in recent years.  The first and arguably the toughest matchup came against the NHTI Lynx as play went back and forth until the Bobcats broke away late in each set.  Fletcher led the way in assists with 25 and Cherry had an impressive 10 digs while Finnley Jacobson (Vergennes, VT) tallied 12 kills in the straight set win ((25-21, 25-19, 25-17).  McKenna Verhagen (Rochester, NY) also added 8 digs in the winning effort. 

"It was such an honor to have all the supportive fans and teammates present at my final home game," said Cherry.  "Hearing the crowd chant "V" or "Cherrybomb" is special and the game would not have had the same energy without the enthusiasm of those on the court with me or the people on the bench screaming so loud they lose their voices."  Many friends, family, and parents were in attendance to watch the final game for the two seniors, and Cherry expressed her appreciation for everyone who showed up.  "Most importantly, seeing my parents in the stands warms my heart," she added.  

In the next game vs. Great Bay CC the Bobcats were far too much for the Herons to handle, winning again in straight sets (25-9, 25-4, 25-9).  Kaliyah Davis (Queensbury, NY) led the way with 8 kills while Maddie Rhodes (Charlotte, NC) scored 8 service aces and Alison Russell (Old Forge, NY) picked up 5 kills. Newest member of the team Karlye Murphy (Hilton, NY) saw some action with an assist and 2 digs.  

The final match of the day saw Paul Smith's College handle ACPHS in straight sets.  After a 25-3 first set, the second frame saw the Panthers take advantage of some of the Bobcats starters getting a rest as the final match of the day dragged on.  But the Smitties in the crowd and on the court weren't going to let the Panthers spoil their sweep and the Bobcats roared back and took the second set 28-26.  Key front line plays throughout the match from Alli Cherry, Kaliyah Davis, and Finnley Jacobson allowed the Bobcats to make up the double digit deficit before they easily took the final set 25-3.  Davis led the way with 13 kills followed closely by Jacobson with 10 while Cherry contributed 8 digs and Fletcher added 29 assists.  Kaleigh Koss (Sweet Valley, PA) earned her first point of the year with a nice kill and added a dig for good measure.  Sofia Milza (Bay Shore, NY) also got on the stat sheet with a dig as the entire PSC roster saw action throughout the day.  

Head coach Bridget McCormick was thrilled with the sweep and what it meant for the two seniors on their final home court.  "Our ladies celebrated our seniors, Avrielle "V" Fletcher and Alli Cherry, this weekend by sweeping our competitiors with three wins and being deck out with pink for Breast Cancer Awareness," she said.  "We are all very happy to have had both our seniors throughout these seasons as they have taught everyone valuable volleyball skills, leaderships, and friendship as a team.  We will deeply miss them in the upcoming seasons but will appreciate every moment we have them!"

"Thank you to everyone involved with PSC volleyball for an amazing year so far, can't wait to sweep some more with my girls!" - Alli Cherry