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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The top-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team was unable to capitalize on a first-set win, as the Hawks fell, 3-1 (28-26, 23-25, 22-25, 21-25), to second-seeded Buffalo State in the title match of the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament Sunday afternoon at the Hawk Center.

Buffalo State (25-9) gains the SUNYAC's automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament with the win, while New Paltz's (32-6) NCAA Tournament fate is now at the hands of the selection committee. The Hawks lost to SUNY Cortland in the semifinal round of last year's SUNYAC Tournament but earned one of 20 Pool "C" bids into the NCAA Tournament. They have earned two Pool "C" selections in their history and have made three appearances total in the national tournament.

Buffalo State's junior outside hitter Samantha Parente was named the Tournament MVP, while senior outside hitter Sarah Horvath and senior libero Chelsea Moore joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Senior libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) and senior setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) represented New Paltz on the All-Tournament team, and they were joined by SUNY Cortland's senior libero Krissy Silk and SUNY Plattsburgh's graduate student outside hitter/right side Rosi Cummings.

New Paltz saw its win streak end at 20, as it last lost on Sept. 21 against New York University. It marks the second-longest streak in program history, and with any luck, the wins the Hawks accumulated during it will bolster its NCAA Tournament at-large résumé.

The match, which saw a devoted home crowd in support of the Hawks, saw momentum shifts throughout, as the two teams tussled in a contest that featured top-notch volleyball.

New Paltz got off on the right foot in the first set, as it controlled the momentum in the early goings and built up a 23-18 lead. Buffalo State would not let the Hawks win the set easily, though, as it battled back with the score at 24-20 in favor of New Paltz. Three straight Bengal points, two of which came off kills from sophomore middle hitter Kayla Pyc, prompted a New Paltz timeout. The Bengals brought up set point with back-to-back terminations from Parente, but New Paltz won two straight rallies to go up, 26-25. Parente leveled the tally at 26-all with a kill, but a termination from freshman middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and a Bengal attack error gave the Hawks set one by a 28-26 final.

The second set appeared to be Buffalo State's in a rout, as the Bengals jumped out to a commanding 11-2 lead. Unfazed by the deficit, New Paltz slowly chipped away at the lead, and with the score at 20-10 in favor of Buffalo State, the Hawks went on to score six of the next seven points to cut the margin to five. Buffalo State eventually took a 23-17 lead off a Horvath kill, but a 4-0 New Paltz run that was capped off by a Roessler termination prompted a Bengal timeout. Horvath put away yet another kill to bring up set point at 24-21, but a Bengal service error and a kill by sophomore outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) drew the Hawks within one at 24-23. A service error on the ensuing rally, however, allowed Buffalo State to pull out the 25-23 set victory.

A back-and-forth battle ensued in the third set, as a 15-11 New Paltz lead eventually evaporated, and the Bengals wound up tying the score at 19-all. The two teams went point for point until two Parente kills and a Hawk attacking error handed Buffalo State a 25-22 victory in the frame.

New Paltz came out fast out of the gates in the fourth, taking an early 5-2 lead. Six of the next seven points went the Bengals' way, however, and a block assist by sophomore outside hitter Hannah Renaldo and Pyc gave Buffalo State an 8-6 advantage. The Bengals appeared headed toward the SUNYAC title after a Renaldo kill put the score at 19-14 in favor of the visitors, but the Hawks had other designs, as a timeout sparked a 6-0 run. A kill by junior outside hitter Alex Bizub (Linden, N.J./Cranford) gave New Paltz the lead once more, as it went up by one at 20-19. Buffalo State closed the match on a tear, scoring five straight points before Bizub broke up the rally with a kill. Horvath landed the match-clinching termination, and the Bengals locked up their first-ever conference championship.

Buffalo State put up a strong defensive front, holding a 13-6 edge in total team blocks. The Bengals owned a .198-to-.178 advantage in hitting percentage, and the Hawks were also hampered by seven service errors.

Bizub keyed the Hawk attack with a career-high 16 kills and a .353 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) and Roessler finished with 11 kills each, and Roessler fashioned a .429 hitting percentage. Hack did not see nearly as much action defensively as she did against Plattsburgh in the semifina roundl, as she posted a team-high 17 digs. King had a double-double with 48 assists and 13 digs, while Herbst completed her double-double with 15 digs.

For Buffalo State, Parente deservedly earned Tournament MVP honors with 16 kills and a .316 hitting percentage. Pyc, junior middle hitter/right side Jessica Crooks and Renaldo had six total blocks each, while Moore collected a match-high 18 digs. Senior setter Kelsey Bashore tallied 44 assists and 12 digs.

The full field for the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament will be announced tomorrow at 11 a.m. via a selection show on www.ncaa.com.