The Quill/Katie Bell
By Akshay Kriplani Staff writer
On Sept. 16 and 17 the Susquehanna volleyball team hosted its 11th annual Hampton Inn Classic tournament. The five teams participating in the tournament were Nazareth, Geneva, SUNY Geneseo, Frostburg State and the hosts, Susquehanna.
On Sept. 16, Susquehanna played Nazareth and Frostburg State. The River Hawks won both matches in three sets.
Against Nazareth Susquehanna won 25-17, 25-18 and 25-15. The River Hawks never trailed in any of the team’s sets against Nazareth.
Senior outside hitter Marykate Sherkness led all players in kills, racking up 15, while junior outside hitter Morgan Lowe followed with six kills. Senior setter Maggie O’Hearn had 24 assists in the game. Freshman libero Caroline Beohm led with 15 digs while Lowe followed with 13.
Up next for Susquehanna came a battle with Frostburg State. The River Hawks won 25-18, 25-19 and 25-15 in the sets respectively.
The River Hawks fell behind in all three sets but managed to fight back and hold on for victory. Sherkness and Lowe led with nine kills apiece. O’Hearn racked the most assists with 24. Beohm and freshman setter Kasey Bost racked up 11 and 10 kills respectively.
On Sept. 17 the River Hawks opened up the day against Geneva. The River Hawks fell to Geneva in five sets: 25-11, 19-25, 17-25, 25-19 and 15-11. Sherkness once again led all players with 17 kills. She was followed by Lowe with 15 kills and senior outside hitter Erin Byrne who pitched in 12 kills. O’Hearn tallied 44 assists and Beohm and Bost had the most kills, with Beohm having 19 and Bost going for 16.
After getting beaten by Geneva, the River Hawks knew that they had to perform their best against SUNY Geneseo. Susquehanna won in three sets, 25-11, 25-15 and 25-18. Sherkness once again led with nine kills, followed by Morgan Lowe who had eight.
Sophomore outside hitter Tara Mahoney and freshman middle hitter Hannah Lyons had seven apiece. O’Hearn racked up 24 assists. Boehm and Bost once again led in digs, with Boehm having 15 and Bost recording 11.
The River Hawks ended the tournament in second place and Sherkness and Lowe made the All-Tournament team.
Sherkness not only made the All-Tournament team, but she also won the Landmark Conference volleyball player of the week award. She finished with 50 kills, five digs and one block in the tournament.
When asked how she felt about winning the award and how the weekend went, she replied: “Overall it was a great weekend. Always proud of this team when we win.” She added, “I couldn’t have gotten the conference volleyball player of the week without my team.”
Head Coach Kuuipo Tom said: “While we have had some successes recently we still need to work on consistency. For the most part I was happy on how the team performed, and I look forward to watching them grow and develop together throughout the season.”
