Plattsburgh State's Iris Mulvey (10) and Augustina White (9) raise up for the double block on Potsdam State's Sarah Ruffos (9) in the straight-set win. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The final match of the 2026 Cardinal Classic featured a SUNYAC rivalry as the host Plattsburgh State Cardinals welcomed the Potsdam State Bears to Memorial Hall for a non-conference contest. With 270 passionate fans in attendance, the Cardinals entered the match looking to secure a share of first place in the tournament standings. From the opening serve, Plattsburgh State showed it was determined to finish the weekend on a high note. The Cardinals dominated the first set, overwhelming the Bears with strong serving and consistent offense in a decisive 25-9 victory. Potsdam put together a stronger effort in the second set, but Plattsburgh continued to dictate the pace of the match. The Cardinals remained in control throughout and pulled away for a 25-15 win, taking a commanding 2-0 lead into the intermission. Facing the possibility of a sweep, the Bears battled hard in the third set and made the Cardinals work for every point. Potsdam stayed within striking distance late in the frame, but Plattsburgh proved too strong down the stretch. The Cardinals closed out the set 25-22 to complete the three-set sweep and secure the 3-0 victory. The win improved Plattsburgh State to 2-1 on the weekend and created a three-way tie for first place in the final Cardinal Classic standings alongside Russell Sage and Hartwick. After dropping their tournament opener, the Cardinals responded with consecutive victories on the final day to earn a share of the title on their home court. For Potsdam State, the loss capped a difficult weekend. The Bears finished the tournament with a 0-3 record and fell to 1-4 overall on the season. With the victory, the Cardinals closed out the 2026 Cardinal Classic in impressive fashion, celebrating a tournament championship share in front of an enthusiastic Memorial Hall crowd. Gallery

Potsdam State's Isabella Miller (6) with the hard serve for the Bears' ace. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Darby Collyear (3) with the services aces that she sends down the line for the point. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Day two of the Cardinal Classic got Saturday morning underway at Memorial Hall as the host Plattsburgh State Cardinals squared off against the Hartwick Hawks in a non-conference volleyball matchup. With 225 fans in attendance, both teams entered the contest looking to improve to 2-0 on the day. The Cardinals struck first, taking the opening set 25-21 behind a strong all-around effort. Hartwick responded in the second set, matching the Cardinals' score with a 25-21 victory to even the match at one set apiece. Plattsburgh State regained momentum in the third set, once again earning a 25-21 win to move within one set of the match victory. The Cardinals then put together their most dominant performance of the morning in the fourth set, pulling away early and cruising to a 25-13 victory to secure the 3-1 match win. Liya Girma paced the Cardinals in the winning effort with 15 points as Plattsburgh State improved to 1-1 on the tournament weekend. The victory gave the Cardinals positive momentum heading into their final match of the Cardinal Classic later in the day. For Hartwick, Sophia Palladino led the Hawks with 10 points. The loss dropped Hartwick to 1-1 on the weekend as the Hawks looked to bounce back in their final tournament match against Russell Sage. Plattsburgh State was scheduled to close out tournament play against SUNY Potsdam in the final match of the day, while Hartwick prepared for its afternoon showdown with Russell Sage. Gallery

Hartwick's Isabella Gracias (14) with the spike over the defender for the Hawks score.Gallery

Russell Sage's Cassidy Weiher (12) with one of her 21 sets at the net to set up the Gators points. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The 2026 Cardinal Classic opened Friday night before a packed crowd at Memorial Hall as the host Plattsburgh State Cardinals welcomed the Russell Sage Gators of the Empire 8 Conference. Despite a pair of spirited late rallies, the Cardinals couldn't overcome early deficits as the Gators earned a 3-0 sweep to begin their season with a victory. Russell Sage came out strong in the opening set, building an early advantage and forcing the Cardinals to play from behind. Plattsburgh State refused to go quietly, however, finishing the set with a six-point run that nearly completed a dramatic comeback. The rally fell just short as the Gators held on for a narrow 25-23 victory and a one-set-to-none advantage. The second set followed a similar pattern. Russell Sage once again established control early, while the Cardinals spent much of the frame battling to close the gap. A late surge brought Plattsburgh State within striking distance, but the Gators remained composed in the closing moments and secured another 25-23 win to move within a set of victory. Facing a straight-set defeat, the Cardinals delivered their strongest start of the night in the third set, jumping out to an early lead and energizing the home crowd. Russell Sage gradually worked its way back into contention before overtaking Plattsburgh State during the latter stages of the set. The Gators closed out the match with a 25-21 victory, completing the sweep. Russell Sage was led by Emily Trama and Paige Kemmer, who each finished with 11.5 points in the winning effort as the Gators improved to 1-0 on the season. Plattsburgh State received balanced scoring from Darby Collyear, Liya Girma, and Brooke Anderson, who each recorded nine points. While the Cardinals dropped to 0-2, they showed resilience by battling back from deficits in each of the opening two sets and challenging the Gators deep into the contest. With the opening day complete, both teams will return to action on Saturday in Day 2 of the Cardinal Classic. Plattsburgh State will take on SUNY Potsdam, while Russell Sage will face Hartwick as tournament play continues. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Iris Mulvey (10) jumps for one of her seven kills on the match as the Cardinals fall at home. Gallery

Castleton State's Chloe Green scored the deflection goal over the Cardinal's Lily Bailey for the 10 lead. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The Plattsburgh State Cardinals opened their season in impressive fashion, defeating the Castleton State Spartans 4-1 at the Plattsburgh State Field House in front of 350 fans. The game did not start the way the Cardinals had hoped, as Castleton struck first in the 14th minute. Gwen Bridges found the back of the net on a deflection, giving the Spartans an early 1-0 advantage. Plattsburgh answered immediately. Just one minute later, Bailee LaFountain scored her first goal of the season to even the match at 1-1. The Cardinals continued to apply pressure and took the lead for good in the 26th minute. Alana Delacruz capitalized on a rebound and buried a shot into a wide-open net, putting Plattsburgh ahead 2-1 heading into halftime. In the second half, the Cardinals kept control of the match. LaFountain added her second goal of the game in the 76th minute, finding the corner of the net to extend the lead to 3-1. LaFountain was not finished. In the 86th minute, she completed the hat trick when her shot ricocheted off the post and into the net, giving Plattsburgh a commanding 4-1 lead. The Cardinals held on from there to secure the season-opening victory and improve to 1-0. Plattsburgh dominated throughout the contest, recording 36 shots on goal. The Cardinals' goalkeeping unit combined for 13 saves in the win. Plattsburgh will look to move to 2-0 when it travels to take on Farmington State on Saturday. Castleton falls to 0-1 on the season after dropping its opener on the road. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Lilly Bailey (1) with the sliding stop as Castleston State's Maya Coviello (15). Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Brannon Butler (23) with the wrister from inside the blueline for the Cardinals first goal to make it 2-1 as they would lose 4-3. It would be the start of the SUNYAC Men's Hockey playoffs. It would see the #6 Plattsburgh State Cardinals travel to Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga Springs Ice Rinks for their quarterfinal matchup with the Skidmore Thoroughbreds in front of 700 fans. The game would remain tied until the 16:549 ark of the 1st period when Tyler Chenevert would light the lamp for Skidmore and take the 1-0 lead after the 1st period. The second period would start well for Skidmore as they quickly jumped to ta2-0 lead on the Coleman Jenkins goal. The Cardinals would answer right back just over a minute later on the Brannon Butler goal to make it a 2-1 game. The Thoroughbreds would come back and regain the two-goal lead at 3-1 on Shane Baker's goal at the 7:50 mark of the second period. Then, with just under five minutes left in the period, Skidmore would extend the lead to 4-1 on Cooper Rice's goal, and that's where the period would end. The Cardinals would keep coming in the third period and make a 4-2 game at the 12:03 mark on the Spencer Bellina goal. The Cardinals would get a goal in the closing seconds of the game from Jake Sacratini, rotoake it a 4-3 final, as the Skidmore Thoroughbreds advance to the Semi-finals. In the winning effort, the Thoroughbreds' Tommy Aikens made 35 saves as they went to 15-9-2. As for the Cardinals, Brady Spry would make 34 saves as they finished their season at 13-13. Gallery

Plattsburgh State's Vlad Pshenichnikov (14) and Skidmore's Oscar Worob battle for the in-zone face-off late in the game. Gallery