In the days leading up to its postseason women's volleyball match with Lancaster Bible College, the members of the Keuka College Storm insisted they knew how to beat the Chargers, who on Sept. 18 handled the Storm in four sets.
Turns out the women were right, as the fourth-seeded Storm (20-9) rallied after dropping the first set to upend the fifth-seeded Chargers (12-18) in four sets Friday night, winning its North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) semifinal by scores of 24-26, 25-18, 25-21 and 25-23.
Sophomore Paige Golden (Kent, NY/Albion) posted a double-double with 23 digs and 11 kills, junior Brittany Smyder (Avon, NY/Avon) added 12 kills, 3 digs, 2 aces and 2 blocks as Keuka rallied from late-set deficits in the fourth set to advance into the semifinals.
The Storm trailed 19-13 and 21-15 in the fourth before the Keuka attack, led freshman Devan Curtis (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente), bounced back to tie the score at 23. Curtis clinched the match with an ace.
Curtis, one of four Storm players to earn All-NEAC honors, finished with a team-high 12 kills, 11 digs and 3 aces while sophomore Taylor Smith (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) added 22 digs. Smyder won six straight service points in the third as the Storm took a 2-1 lead in sets.
Senior Hannah Doody (Tully, NY/Tully), the NEAC's inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, added 35 digs for Keuka, which has now won 11 of its last 14 matches spanning the regular season and postseason, including getting nine three-set sweeps during the winning streak.
Sophomore Amie Pizura (Prattsburgh, NY/Hammondsport) added 38 assists and 13 digs for the Storm. This was a rematch of the Sept. 18th match when, as part of the first NEAC crossover competition, Keuka fell the Lancaster Bible in four sets, losing a back-and-forth match by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 21-25 and 21-25. Doody tied a career-high with 36 digs in that match, and finished with 71 digs in two matches with the Chargers this year.
With the win, the Storm advances to face the NEAC's top seed, Penn State-Berks (10-0 NEAC) at 11 a.m. on Saturday. No. 2 Gallaudet (9-1) and No. 3 SUNYIT (8-2) square off in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting up in the NEAC championship match at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Whichever team captures the NEAC championship earns the conference's automatic qualifying berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.