Hartwick's Lucille Walker (16) with the block on the spike attempt by Potsdam State's Noelle Redeye (13) as the Hawks get the straight-set victory. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The second match of opening day at the 2026 Cardinal Classic featured another SUNYAC versus Empire 8 showdown as the SUNY Potsdam Bears faced the Hartwick Hawks before 150 fans at Memorial Hall. The Hawks controlled the match from the outset, earning a convincing straight-set victory to open their season. Hartwick wasted little time establishing control in the first set, jumping out to a 5-2 advantage and never looking back. The Hawks maintained steady pressure throughout the frame and cruised to a 25-15 victory, taking an early 1-0 lead in the match. The second set followed a similar script as Hartwick raced out to a 4-0 advantage. Potsdam battled through the middle of the set and put together a strong five-point run late to make things interesting, but the Hawks stayed in control and secured a 25-21 win to move within one set of the match. Looking to close out the contest in straight sets, Hartwick delivered its most dominant performance of the evening in the third. The Hawks surged to a commanding 9-1 lead and never allowed the Bears back into contention. Hartwick maintained its advantage throughout the set before finishing off a 25-16 victory to complete the sweep. Lucille Walker led the way for the Hawks with 11 points, helping Hartwick begin the 2026 season with a 1-0 record. The victory also sets up a possible marquee matchup on Saturday against fellow opening-day winner Russell Sage, with early tournament bragging rights potentially on the line. For SUNY Potsdam, Ashlee Hagerman paced the offense with six points. The Bears fell to 1-2 on the season but will have an opportunity to bounce back during Day 2 action of the Cardinal Classic. Match Results Hartwick 3, SUNY Potsdam 0 Set 1: Hartwick 25, Potsdam 15 Set 2: Hartwick 25, Potsdam 21 Set 3: Hartwick 25, Potsdam 16 With opening-night action complete, both Russell Sage and Hartwick sit atop the tournament standings after straight-set victories, setting the stage for an intriguing second day of competition at the 2026 Cardinal Classic.Gallery

Russel Sage's Tessa Warner (15) with the tip at the net to send it back over. 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's Natalie Battinelli (11) spikes over the defender for the score as the Hornets advance to the Section VII Class B Finals. It would be the start of the Section VII Volleyball playoffs, and the Plattsburgh High School would host one of the two semi-finals on this day. The #1 Plattsburgh Hornets would enter the playoffs undefeated as they would take on the #4 seeded Saranac Spartans with a spot in the Sectionals finals on Friday against the winner of the Beekmantown Eagles and Saranac Lake Red Storm. The home Hornets would come out firing, but the Spartans would do their best to keep the first set tight, and the Hornets would do better with a 25-19 victory. In the second set, the Spartans would after the win from the start of the seat, and they would get the 25-20 set win. As they head into the third set, the Chiefs would leave little to the imagination as they would get the easy 25-7 victory. As they would head to the 4th set, the Hornets would stay hot as they would get the easy 25-13 victory. The Hornets would win the match 3-1 and go to 17-0 on the season as they will take on the winner of the Beekmantown Eagles and Saranac Lake Red Storm Friday evening with a title on the line. As for the Saranac Spartans, their season would end at 10-7. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Nataliya Canada (8) with the dig on the return ball she gets to before the ball gets to the court. It would be the last regular season game for the Plattsburgh Hornets as they would host the Ausable Valley Patriots in Section VII Volleyball action from the Plattsburgh High School. Before the game, they would honor the six seniors on the team. As for the match, the Hornets could win straight sets (25-16, 26-24, and 25-9). In the first two sets of the game, the Patriots would be holding their own and even have the lead a few times and had a chance to win the second set. With the win, the Plattsburgh Hornets would put the bow on their perfect season and go 16-0 as they head into the playoffs. As for the Ausable Valley Patriots, they will fall to 5-1 on the season as they have their season finale Wednesday Night against the Northeastern Clinton Cougars. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Julia Luck (15) with the bump on the return from the Bobcats to set up the Hornes attack as they would get the straight sets victory. It would be Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Volleyball action from Plattsburgh High School as the Hornets would host the Northern Adirondack Bobcats in a late-season tilt. The Plattsburg Hornets would leave little to the contest as they would take the straight-set victory by the score of 25-14, 25-10, and 25-14 for the victory. With the victory, the Hornets would stay perfect on the season as they go to 12-0 and head into their next match next week at Beekmantown for a matchup between the top 2 teams in the league. As the Northern Adirondack Bobcats fall to 1-11 on the season, they will meet up with the 0-8 Northeastern Clinton Cougars on October 21st. Gallery