SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y - The Nichols College women's volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (17-25, 20-25, 18-25) to host Skidmore College on day one of the Skidmore Classic inside Williamson Sports Center.

With the result, both the Thoroughbreds (0-0 Liberty League) and the Bison (0-0 CNE) moved to 2-2 on the season.

Alyssa Morse led the way offensively for Nichols with eight kills, supported by Angelina Steiger (five) and Kya Burdier (two). Maille Ianniruberto sparked from the service line with three aces. Ruby St. Onge guided the attack with 11 assists to go along with two aces, while Burdier chipped in five assists. On defense, Elizabeth Mullen anchored the back row with 11 digs, while Burdier and Ianniruberto added two blocks apiece.

Skidmore wasted no time setting the tone in the opening set, striking first and keeping steady pressure on Nichols. The Bison briefly took the lead midway through capitalizing on a Skidmore service error and a Mullen ace but the Thoroughbreds answered with a decisive run, pulling ahead 16-11 and not looking back for a 25-17 win.

Nichols responded in the second set, jumping ahead from back-to-back aces from St. Onge. The teams were locked in five ties as both sides traded points, but Skidmore ultimately pulled away by taking advantage of Bison errors. Despite a late four-point surge, Nichols fell 25-20 and trailed 2-0 in the match.

The Thoroughbreds carried their momentum into the third set, storming out to a 12-6 lead. Nichols battled back with an 8-3 run to close the gap, but Skidmore was too far ahead and secured the sweep with a 25-18 victory.

The Bison will look to bounce back on Saturday with a pair of matchups to close out the tri-match facing fellow visitors, SUNY Oneonta at 10:00 a.m. and Williams College at 2:00 p.m.