PHOENIXVILLE, PA --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com)  York College women's volleyball traveled to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, for a pair of non-conference matches against the University of Valley Forge Patriots, falling to the hosts, 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 25-7) and 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-15) inside The Pit.

"Overall, we ended our day better than we started. From a coaches standpoint, between games, we made some strategic changes in the lineup and it proved to be the  right one. The team's chemistry and morale took a turn up and allowed us to be more productive as a whole. Shamonie Miller continues to lead the team both with leadership, skill and motivation. Though both Coach Mario and I believe, today's progress was truly a team effort and desire to achieve more."  -said head coach Christy Herring after the doubleheader

After a tough first set, the Cardinals raced out to an 8-3 advantage in the second stanza thanks to a pair of aces from Andrea Wright. The Patriots responded by winning 22 of the last 24 points to take the set. Winning the previous stanzas by double-digits, Valley Forge's steady digs, sets, and attacks resulted in a comfortable third set.  

Along with her two aces, Wright had a match-high two solo blocks, the first two of the Cardinals' season. Shamonie Miller continued her fine form from Thursday's match with a kill and two aces of her own. Miller's kill was York's sole one. Each recording a team-leading two digs were Nitaye Riley and Nadaysia Nivar.
 
Caitlyn Fisher, Ava Page, and Vivian Huddlestone stood out for Valley Forge. Fisher led the match with eight aces and five kills. Page chipped in five aces, three digs, and three kills. Huddlestone totaled a match-leading eight assists, as she was the only Cougar to record an assist.

The Patriots controlled the match in kills (11-1), aces (25-4), digs (13-7), and assists (8-1). Both teams each committed nine service errors, and interestingly, York had 32 total attacks as opposed to
Valley Forge's 33, suggesting the Cardinals had chances to win more points. Indeed, the Patriots finished with a (.030 to -.469) advantage in attacking.

In the finale, following a comfortable first set performance by Valley Forge, York was competitive early in both the second and third sets. With the Patriots up 9-8 in the second stanza, they reeled off 16 of the last 20 points, fueled by five aces by Telia Robinson. The third set saw the Patriots rally from a 10-9 deficit to prevail by ten points. 

Like the first leg of today's doubleheader, Miller took command for the Cardinals with team-highs in kills (4), total attacks (13), digs (5), and aces (1). Along with Miller, Riley and Nivar each tallied an ace. Cherub Autar also provided a steady presence with four digs, a team-leading five assists, and a stout .250 hitting percentage.

For Valley Forge, Fisher and Huddlestone once again performed well. Fisher had match highs in hitting percentage (.444), kills (5), and was tied for the most aces (6). Huddlestone continued her prodigious setting ability, tallying nine assists. She even chipped in with six aces. Emerging in this contest was Robinson, who, in addition to her six aces, recorded four kills and two digs.

Similar to the first match of the doubleheader, the Patriots outplayed York in kills (11-7), aces (24-3), digs (17-11), and assists (10-5). Both teams committed double-digit service errors, with York failing to get the ball over the next 16 times as opposed to Valley Forge's 13. The Cardinals continued with their theme of generating attacking opportunities, having more total attacks (39) than the Patriots (30).

The Cardinals (0-4, 0-1 CUNYAC) return home Tuesday (Sept. 20) for a CUNYAC matchup against the CCNY Beavers (6-1, 2-0 CUNYAC) at 6 p.m. inside York College Gymnasium.

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