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POTSDAM, N.Y. – For the second time in program history, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team (34-8) will be playing for a regional title, as the Hawks downed State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) rival SUNY Cortland (34-6)—ranked 17th in NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)—by a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-21) final in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks will face off with host Clarkson University in the regional's championship match tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The winner of that contest moves on to the national quarterfinals. The national quarterfinals, semifinals and final will run from Thursday, Nov. 15, through Saturday, Nov. 17, at Hope College in Holland, Mich.

With the victory, the Hawks set a single-season program record in wins with 34. The previous standard of 33 was achieved by New Paltz's 2009 squad that went 33-6.

New Paltz hit .242 for the match and limited Cortland to a .168 hitting percentage. The Hawks were on fire off the serve, corralling 12 service aces, and the Red Dragons suffered 18 attacking errors to the Hawks' 12.

New Paltz was paced statistically by senior middle hitter Dana Vosilla (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa), who had a team-high 11 kills and a .526 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Michelle Jacobson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) added 10 kills, and junior setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) dished out 30 assists. Defensively, Vosilla led the way with five blocks, while freshman outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) and sophomore libero Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) boasted nine digs each. Furthermore, Borquist floored five service aces.

For Cortland, Ashley Coyle had a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, while Kristen Guercio handed out 31 assists. Krissy Silk also sported a double-digit dig total, as she collected 12.

The Red Dragons held the momentum through much of the first set, and back-to-back kills by Coyle and Aubrey Barrett made the score 16-11 in favor of Cortland. New Paltz rattled off four straight points to draw within one, but the Red Dragons responded with two consecutive points to build a three-point edge. An attacking error by Coyle opened the floodgates, as the Red Dragons' momentum was officially stopped when two additional attacking miscues tied the score at 18-all. King served up an ace to give the Hawks the lead, and another Cortland attacking error put New Paltz up by two. Coming out of a timeout, the Red Dragons earned a point off a service error, but kills by Jacobson and junior middle hitter Liz Hauser (East Williston, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) prompted a second Cortland timeout. Jacobson served back-to-back aces to bring up set point, and she served her third consecutive ace to seal the game-one win.

Cortland struggled throughout much of the second set. After the Red Dragons took the lead at 1-0, it earned a one-point edge once more, but a seven-point tear by New Paltz—capped off by a Jacobson kill—put the Hawks up 8-2. From that point forward, Cortland was unable to come within five points, and New Paltz put itself one set win away from a regional final appearance.

After back-and-forth play in the third stanza, New Paltz took a 19-15 edge after scoring four straight points. The Red Dragons clawed back, though, and a kill from Coyle tied the tally at 19-all. Following a New Paltz timeout, the Hawks scored two straight points, while Coyle brought the Red Dragons back within one with a kill. A Cortland service error, a Vosilla kill and a Herbst service ace put the Red Dragons on the ropes with match point, but Coyle sided out New Paltz will a kill. Vosilla once again came up big, as she landed the match-ending termination.