Box Score Box Score

FREDONIA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team (28-11) suffered a 3-1 (25-20, 15-25, 25-13, 25-21) loss to SUNY Cortland (33-7) in the 2010 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament final on Saturday afternoon at Dods Hall on the campus of SUNY Fredonia.

With the victory, the Red Dragons win the SUNYAC title, their 17th in program history, and earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships. The Hawks, ranked at No. 4 in the most recent regional rankings, have an outside shot at an at-large berth into the championship tournament. The field will be revealed on Monday at 11 a.m. (EDT) during the Division III selection show, which will be streamed via video at http://www.ncaa.com/allaccess/index.html?media=203252.

Junior outside hitter Melinda DiGiovanna (West Hempstead, N.Y.) and senior middle hitter Dana Kindelmann (Nesconset, N.Y.) represented New Paltz on the All-Tournament Team, while Cortland's Kristen Guercio earned Tournament MVP honors.

The loss marks New Paltz's first since Oct. 22, as the team entered the afternoon with an eight-match win streak. The victory is Cortland's 11th straight.

Strong defensive efforts led to long rallies in this rematch of last year's championship tilt. New Paltz posted 91 digs, while Cortland boasted 81.

The Hawks, the East Division's No. 2 seed, trailed the entirety of the first set, but they came within one at 20-19. Cortland, the East Division's No. 1 seed, would go on to score five of the final six points of the game to build a 1-0 lead.

New Paltz's blocking and defense allowed them to claim the momentum in the second stanza. After a 1-1 score in the set, the Hawks pulled away, evening the score at 1-1 with a 25-15 victory in the second frame.

The blue and orange kept pace early in the third set, but the Red Dragons separated themselves late in the stanza, capturing the frame, 25-13.

Despite being behind by as many as seven points in the fourth set, New Paltz mounted a comeback, giving Cortland everything it had. The Red Dragons, however, would seal the four-set win with a 25-22 triumph in the final stanza.

DiGiovanna and sophomore right side Michelle Jacobson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) each notched a double-double. DiGiovanna had 13 kills and one error in 29 total attempts for a .414 hitting percentage and also totaled 24 digs. Jacobson had 15 kills and three errors in 32 total attempts for a .375 hitting percentage and collected 14 digs. Freshman libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) boasted a match-high 25 digs, while sophomore right side Eleanor Skovgaard (Pittsford, N.Y.) offered three block assists. Freshman setters Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y.) and Brigid Moore (Victor, N.Y.) dished out 24 and 20 assists, respectively

For Cortland, Ashley Coyle led the way with a 20-kill and 22-dig effort, and Sheena Asibey helped out the attack with a .382 hitting percentage (16 kills and 3 errors on 34 total attempts). Guercio earned Tournament MVP honors by virtue of her gaudy assist total of 48, which served as the match-high.

Ninth-year head coach Matt Giufre has guided the Hawks to at least 26 wins in each of the past seven seasons, and 2010 marked the third straight year that New Paltz has reached the finals at the SUNYAC Championships.