Volleyball kicks off season with 3-1 win at Salt City Classic Tournament – ​​The Lafayette

The Lafayette College volleyball team (3-1 overall) began its 2024 season last Friday in Syracuse, New York.

In the Salt City Classic Tournament, the Leopards faced non-conference opponents Le Moyne College (0-3 overall), Syracuse University (3-0 overall), Canisius University (2-2 overall) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-4 overall).

The team began the tournament by playing against Le Moyne. Outside hitters senior Abby Nieporte and freshman Paige Chmura led the offense, the latter impressive with five kills and three block assists in her Leopards debut.

The Leopards showed off their defensive prowess, recording 22 blocks, while sophomore middle blocker Irelynd Lorenzen also had seven blocks of her own.

Freshman setters Mackenzie Calhoun and fourth-year player Anna Penman combined for 26 assists to lead Lafayette to a comfortable three-set victory.

“The first game we were very disciplined and worked well as a team with everyone doing their job, which resulted in a clean sweep,” senior outside hitter Phoebe Glass said. “We felt really good at that moment, knowing that this was our first game and that we were setting the standard for the season.”

Later Friday, the Leopards faced host Syracuse. Maroon and White struggled against Syracuse’s high-powered offense, losing the first two sets by scores of 25-13 and 25-19, respectively. The Leopards rebounded with a strong third-set performance led by key kills from outside hitters sophomore Ally Feczko and junior Carol Ulichney.

Despite the young middle blocker duo of Hannah Ehrich-Pollock and Ulichney totaling 17 points throughout the match, the Orange won the match 3-1 in the fourth set.

“In the preseason, we always set the standard to take at least one set from a team no matter who it was, so it felt really good to know that we achieved our goal,” senior middle blocker Natasha Zorbas said. “We also stayed strong and aggressive throughout the match, so despite the loss, we were still happy with the result.”

The Leopards were given a chance to bounce back against NJIT on Saturday, when Nieporte and sophomore spiker Emma Patmon were the offensive standouts, combining for 28 points.

After losing two of the first three sets, Leopards showed resilience to win the fourth set by a tight margin of 25-22. In the fifth and final set, Maroon and White saw significant contributions from Patmon, Lorenzen and Ehrich-Pollock to win 15-8 and eventually win the match 3-2.

“It was a very proud moment for the team, knowing that we could overcome adversity and come out with a victory in the fifth set,” Glass said. “We all aimed to keep a positive mindset throughout the match and that helped us get the victory.”

Lafayette closed out tournament play with a 3-1 victory over Canisius on Saturday afternoon. Calhoun tied career highs with 24 assists and three service aces.

Feczko and Ulichney led the charge with 10 and 11 kills, respectively. Lafayette’s strong serving game, highlighted by Calhoun and sophomore setter Anna Van Wyk, played a key role in securing their third win of the season.

“It felt really good to win four straight sets after a long five-set match, and the energy was really high the whole game,” Glass said. “We finished on a high.”

Ehrich-Pollock and Ulichney were both named to the Salt City Classic All-Tournament Team. Ehrich-Pollock had 26 kills on . 333 hitting, seventh-best in the Patriot League, and Ulichney recorded 34 kills on . 295 hitting in tournament play.

Zorbas said Ehrich-Pollock and Ulichney “had very strong performances this weekend, especially with their aggressive hitting and blocking up front. They were also very vocal on and off the court as supportive teammates, and both of them have the voices missing right now to prove it.”

The Leopards will be back on the field today at the VCU Invitational, facing Winthrop University at 2 p.m., followed by a game against Virginia Tech on Saturday.