The Oswego State volleyball team defeated the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons in five sets on Oct. 22 away from home. This win brought the Lakers to a record of 5-4 in their conference and 17-9 overall.

Oswego controlled the first set, having a lead of 20-13 until Oneonta forced their deficit down to three. This made Oswego call a timeout, regroup and win 25-21.  Oneonta would end up bouncing back, winning the second set by a score of 25-19. In the third set, Oswego made an early jump to a 7-3 lead, but Oneonta climbed its way back to tie the score up 11-11.  Oswego was able to establish control of the set and took the set by a score of 25-18. The fourth set was very back and forth with both teams not wanting to back down, but Oneonta would end up squeaking out a win at a score of 25-22.  Oswego came out on fire in the fifth set, grabbing a 10-6 lead, Oneonta had a rally late, but the Lakers would emerge as victors, winning 15-11.  Emma Fiorentine led the team in kills with 16, while McKenna Corbin led the team in assists and aces with 38 and four respectively. Kaylee Troy led the team in digs with ten, with Ally Natale right behind her with nine.  Corbin, Sydney Chiffriller and Georgia Farry all led the team in blocks with one a piece.

Oswego dominated the day offensively, notching 52 kills to Oneonta’s 39.  They also led the day in assists, with 43 to Oneonta’s 32.  Head coach Toby Rens said it was a feel-good win for the Lakers.

“Getting Oneonta at Oneonta was really key,” Rens said.  “It’s always hard to win on the road and I’m really pleased with the poise that we showed, we really made a statement in the first set, and I am super proud of the group effort we had.”

Corbin, a senior, who led the team in assists and aces, feels she has benefited from her team’s play, leading to more success on the court.

“I just work with what the passers give me, one position is based on another position,” Corbin said. “Thankfully our passers are very skilled, so I’m able to spread the ball out to all my hitters, which definitely helps with all the assists.”

Rens had high praise for Corbin, describing her as the heart for this team.

“She’s kind of the motor that keeps us running,” Rens said.  “I often joke that there are balls she can’t get to, whether it’s a bad pass or dig on a hard hit ball that sprays off.  She’s just always giving maximum effort and it’s really inspiring for her teammates to see that effort on every single play. It’s contagious and I think it bleeds over to the rest of the team.  She’s definitely a big catalyst for us and has been all season.”    

This win against Oneonta locked in the fifth seed for Oswego, which means it is playoff volleyball for the Lakers. Rens believes the key to having success in the playoffs is all about trust.

“For this group it’s the first time in this position,” he said. “Our desire is great, they really want to do well. With that, great things will happen, great things are in front of us and it is really all about seizing the moment.”

To keep that intensity going through the rest of the season, Rens stated that it is all about improvement.

“We’re just trying to get a little bit better everyday, we emphasize that a lot,” Rens said. “Whether that’s through repetition, or working on a particular skill or working on the rotation, as long as they’re focused on that it’s going to help a lot.”

Chiffriller, another senior, who had six kills, six digs and one assist against Oneonta had this to say about playoffs.

“It means a lot to us, coming into this year we really wanted to prove ourselves,” Chiffriller said. “I’m really happy with the team we made up from last year, how we built ourselves to be better.”

Chiffriller also feels this group has a different vibe that makes it different from the teams in years prior.

“Definitely team chemistry, I think Covid held this team back because we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together,” Chiffriller said. “This year we did a lot more team bonding, which made us more comfortable with each other. We definitely have more trust in one another than we did last year.”

The Lakers have a matchup against Marywood University on Oct. 29 in Scranton and then have a very quick turnaround to face SUNY Geneseo on Nov. 1 in the first round of the SUNYAC Championship Tournament.  

Photo provided by Jim Gemza