The Oswego State volleyball team has lost their fight to grab a spot in the SUNYAC playoffs.  Following their loss to SUNY Oneonta on Oct. 15 and their loss to SUNY New Paltz on Oct. 16, the Lakers now sit at a conference record of 0-7.  

Despite the Lakers tough season thus far, the team still has six games remaining. The next two games are conference matchups against SUNY Potsdam and  Plattsburgh State, both teams sitting low in the SUNYAC standings. In 2019, Oswego State defeated both Plattsburgh State and SUNY Potsdam, winning in three sets against the Cardinals and  five sets against the Bears.  

Head coach for the Oswego State volleyball team JJ O’Connell expressed his gratitude towards his team and their performance. After their Friday game against SUNY Oneonta that resulted in a loss,  O’Connell decided to honor his senior players by putting an all-senior starting lineup on the court.  

“I was really proud of the team and the way they fought,” O’Connell said. “We knew we were eliminated after the Friday  match and we came up really great against New Paltz. We didn’t let the loss from Friday affect us. We just threw our senior lineup out there and they still put up a  fight against a pretty good New Paltz team. I was thrilled with how they played, and I expect the  same thing in our upcoming matches when we go up against Potsdam and Plattsburgh.” 

Although there will not be a postseason for the Lakers, O’Connell still has some goals for the rest of the games left to play. The next tournament for the team is the Learfield IMG College Director’s Cup, where teams will receive more points for placing higher up in their division. In the 2018- 2019 season, SUNY Oswego placed 128th out of 338 Division III teams. O’Connell emphasizes his goal is to move up in the standings even if it is just moving up a few places. 

“If we finish tenth verses eighth, that’s a big difference for the department,” O’Connell said. “There  are still some goals to fight for well as well as trying to get back to .500 which is more than  possible.” 

The game Oct. 16 was senior night for the Oswego Lakers. Dana Carey, the Monroe native is one of the Lakers graduating this upcoming spring semester. The setter totaled  16 assists, seven digs and three blocks in the matchup against SUNY New Paltz. Carey emphasized at this point; the team truly has nothing to lose.  

“We’re trying to play the best we can and do the best we can with the games we have left,” Carey said. “Even though we’re not going to the playoffs, we’re still going to play hard and keep  improving.” 

Another important aspect the Lakers have going for them are their upcoming seniors. The juniors have been a huge asset to the small success the team has had this year. Mckenna Corbin, native had 15 assists and 11 digs for the Lakers last Saturday and notched 13 assists as a setter against Cazenovia College on Tuesday. 

Another junior who has stepped up this semester is Emmas Fiorentine. The outside hitter added seven kills in the matchup against the Cazenovia College Wildcats. When asked how she thinks they will be an advantage for the Lakers the rest of the  year and next year, Carey expressed she saw a lot of improvement from them. 

“They were only sophomores the last time they played and now they are in our starting lineup,” Carey said. “They already have improved so much and have a whole year to keep improving. I’m  excited to see where they go.” 

Another star junior on the Lakers is Sydney Chiffriller. The offensive hitter is a Massapequa  native, who had an astonishing freshman year playing in 35 sets recording 39 kills, 30 digs and five blocks in her rookie campaign. Since then, she has made a name for herself in Oswego  volleyball. On Oct 16, Chiffriller contributed to the game in the kill category leading the Lakers with 10 kills. Chiffriller mentioned that working as a group was a vital lesson the team did not realize early on in the season.  

“As a team in the beginning of the season it was kind of like a wakeup call,” Chiffriller said. “We knew we were a  young team, but we didn’t know that there would be this much competition. It  all starts with the pass, then it goes into the set, and then it goes to me to hit. As long as we’re  all in it together, everything plays out.” 

Despite having two injured players on the bench and playing with a new set of players on the  court, the Lakers were able to grasp something good out of these past games. This weekend’s performance was described as a confidence booster for the team and Chiffriller especially. 

“I think we played really well this weekend which was a big step up,” said Chiffriller. “Despite  injuries setting us back a bit, it worked. We have high hopes and are getting better each day we  practice.” 

Oswego State still has a chance to redeem their season with a few wins. Although it will not make  the Lakers playoff eligible, these next few games can really set the tone for the season next  year. When asked how she expects the team to start winning these toe-to-toe match ups,  Chiffriller explained it is all about having a positive attitude.  

“We have to start off high. If we don’t start with high confidence it won’t grow from there,” said Chiffriller. “We have to come in with high hopes in order to walk out with a good result.” 

The COVID-19 pandemic did cause the graduating seniors to miss out on a whole season of playing. The goal for the team now is to try and have these seniors be able to leave on a high note.  

“We want to win for them,” Chiffriller said. “We’re definitely playing these next couple of games for our  seniors.”

William Rogers | The Oswegonian