WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

New York, NY----The Sage Colleges women’s volleyball team opened the 2009 season on Saturday on the first day of competition at the New York University Labor Day Invitational. Sage would drop the first of two matches to Hunter College (25-20, 25-17, 25-22) and then fell to SUNY Geneseo (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20). Sage is now 0-2 on the young season.

The Gators will face the tournament host New York University Violets on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. before taking on Rutgers University-Newark at 2:00 p.m. in the final day of action in the event.

Against Hunter College, junior middle hitter Nicole Corbett (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) paced the team with her 12 kills, while junior outside hitter Sarah Peacock (Duanesburg, NY/Duanesburg) added 11 kills with 10 digs. Senior middle hitter Kelli Jones (Troy, NY/Troy) recorded 12 kills with 15 digs.

In the second match against Geneseo, Jones added eight kills with 15 digs, while Corbett added eight kills with three blocks. Sophomore libero Kelsey Wilson (Schenectady, NY/Bishop Gibbins) led the Gators with her 23 digs.

The Gators are coming off a 24-12 campaign having earned the program’s second straight Skyline Conference Championship and NCAA tournament appearances. Now in her ninth season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Lisa Gallagher is leading a roster of seven returnees, but is adjusting the graduation loss of 2008 Skyline Conference Player of the Year, Kaitlin Olmstead.