Women's Volleyball off to 5-0 start

There was a lot to like about Fredonia women volleyball's weekend sweep during the Cortland Red Dragon Classic.

There was solid play at crunch time, a player milestone, and contributions from newcomers. It all added up to a 4-0 weekend and a 5-0 start to the regular season.

"I loved how our team reacted in both set fives," Blue Devil head coach Geoff Braun said. "We showed our will to win and didn't waver when we met adversity."

The Blue Devils edged Lebanon Valley on Friday and the University of Rochester on Saturday by 3-2 scores. They also scored a pair of 3-1 wins -- Friday over St. Lawrence, Saturday over Wells.

Individually, senior setter Kelly Edinger (Rochester, N.Y.) moved into second place in career assists and made the all-tournament team, while senior opposite Paulina Rein (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) asserted herself at critical times.

"Kelly made all-tourney and moved into second in career assists, passing Traci Pieczynski," Braun said. "Paulina was our best player on Friday. Without her we don't beat Lebanon Valley or St Lawrence."

Sophomore setter Hallie Christopher (East Amherst, N.Y.), a transfer from Geneseo, and a pair of freshmen, opposite Kailey Falk (York, N.Y.) and defensive specialist Rachel Aiello (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), also made significant contributions.

"The freshmen that contributed did well," Braun said. "This roster has a lot of depth and we needed it."

The Blue Devils are back in action this weekend at the New Paltz Hawks Classic, where they will play New York University and Mount Saint Mary on Friday, and Stockton and Sage on Saturday.

NOTES: Edinger's 185 assists this season give her 3,519 in her college career. Pieczynski accumulated 3,421 assists from 2002 to 2005. The all-time Blue Devil leader is Alyssa Torpy with 3,572 assists from 2005 to 2008.