ONEONTA, NY (September 13, 2019) -- At Hartwick College, the King's College women's volleyball team split the tri-match, falling to the host Hawks and defeating the Wildcats of SUNY Poly, to record their first loss of the season and improve to 8-1. Sophomore Becca Goldberg gave another stellar performance, posting a career-high in kills in match one.

vs. Hartwick:

In match one at Hartwick College, the Monarchs battled, dropping the first two sets before claiming set three, and eventually falling to the host, 3-1, for their first loss of the year. The first set saw each team have their fair share of runs, but ultimately the Hawks prevailed despite six kills from Goldberg. The Monarchs responded to their second set loss of the year, starting set two with a 6-0 run on two kills by Goldberg and four errors by the Hawks. The Hawks responded, trading points before going on a 6-1 run of their own to tie the score, 14-14, before a Hartwick kill gave them the lead, 15-14. Both teams continued this difficult set before Hartwick ended set two on a four-point run, posting the final 25-22.

King's got their lone win of the match in set three. Hartwick started on another solid run opening the set, 5-0, before King's answered with a six-point run to take the lead on two kills by sophomore Cleo Schultz, a kill by sophomore Grace Frati, two service aces by sophomore Karissa Hartzell, and a Hawks error. The momentum switched in favor of the Monarchs as they went on yet another run, 8-3, to give them a 14-8 cushion that they would not lose, winning set three, 25-19.

The final set saw eight ties and two lead changes as the host Hawks posted the final set score, 25-21, handing the Monarchs their first loss of the season, 3-1.

Goldberg led King's as she posted her career-high and match-high 20 kills on 42 attempts and committing just two errors, hitting .429 for the match. Sophomore Wiatt Hoffmann dished out 29 assists while freshman Caitlyn Pepper added 18. Sophomore Taylor Mueller recorded a match-high tying 29 digs, while Frati added 11 and fellow-sophomores Karissa Hartzell and Toni Galasso added 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

As a team, the Monarchs led in assists (51-48) and digs (85-75), but the Hawks controlled the battle in kills (55-54), service aces (10-4), and hitting percentage (.218-.183).

vs. SUNY Poly:

The second match against the Wildcats ultimately favored the Monarchs. Set one saw SUNY Poly jump to an early 6-2  lead before King's answered with a 13-3 run, gaining a 15-9 advantage that they would not relinquish for the set. The final two sets saw the Monarchs battle with the Wildcats, trading points and each going on their own respective runs before posting a 26-24 final in both sets.

Goldberg shined again for the Monarchs, adding a game-high 18 kills on 48 attempts, hitting .250 in this match. Frati added the Monarchs other double-digit kill total for the match, recording her third double-double of the season with 12 kills and 13 digs. Hoffmann recorded a match-high 37 of the team's 41 assists, and Mueller and Hartzell added 13 and 12 digs, respectively, for the defense. At the net, Goldberg and sophomore Danielle Kitchner each recorded two blocks.

The Monarchs out-scored the Wildcats in almost every statistical category, posting 49 kills, four service aces, 41 assists, and 58 digs while hitting .183 for the match.

King's women's volleyball has a quick turnaround, as they host the Pacers of Marywood University in McGrane Gymnasium tomorrow afternoon, starting at 1:00 pm. Conference action is set to start this upcoming Wednesday as the Monarchs travel to the Devils of FDU-Florham at 7:00 pm.