PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Southern Vermont College women's volleyball team squared off with Utica College for the second time this week on Friday evening, falling 3-1 to the Pioneers in the opening night of the Best Western Plus-Ground Round Cardinal Classic hosted by SUNY Plattsburgh.

Utica took the first two sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-15 before the Mountaineers prevented the sweep with a third-set victory of 25-20. The Pioneers came back to close it out in the fourth, however, with a 25-16 margin for the win.

This weekend is the third-and-final time that the Mountaineers (2-7) will be in Upstate New York for a two-day tournament in preparation for the league schedule. SVC takes on New England Collegiate Conference foe Elms College Saturday in Plattsburgh for a non-conference preview with the Blazers on Saturday at 11 a.m., and Southern Vermont then plays the hosting Cardinals at 1:30 p.m. to wrap up its stay at the Classic.

Mountaineer freshman Tay Phillips (Stephentown, N.Y.) doubled up her previous season-high for kills with 12 on the night, causing just one attacking error on 32 swings for a .344 hitting percentage; she also had four digs and a service ace on the night. Senior captain Brin Goldman (St. Croix, Virgin Islands) followed with seven kills, nine digs and a team-best 15 assists.

Freshman Sarah Billow (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) tallied four kills in the effort, adding nine digs and a pair of assists to her line. Sophomore Lizzy Bench (St. Petersburg, Fla.) set a new career-high for digs with 22, easily topping her previous best of 14. Bennington College freshman Gaby Oropeza (Riverside, Calif.) chipped in with eight digs and a pair of assists on the night for SVC.

– #LetsGoSVC –