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POTSDAM, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team saw its season come to a close on Sunday afternoon, falling, 3-1 (25-27, 27-25, 25-18, 25-15), to host No. 22 Clarkson University in the Potsdam Regional final in the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament.

Sophomore outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) and senior setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) each were named to the Regional All-Tournament Team, joining Clarkson's senior middle hitter Xiao Liang (Most Outstanding Player), senior libero Erika Chin and senior setter Lani Durio and New York University's sophomore middle blocker Nicole Frias.

Clarkson (36-6) advances to the national quarterfinals and will face No. 3 Cal Lutheran University on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Hope College's DeVos Fieldhouse in Holland, Mich. New Paltz finishes its 2013 campaign at 34-7 overall, which ties its 2012 program record for wins in a season.

The two teams battled in the first two sets, with each side coming out on top by a 27-25 score. Clarkson pulled away in the third and fourth stanzas to advance to the national quarterfinals with a regional championship win over New Paltz for the second time in as many years.

The Golden Knights hit at a .250 clip for the match, while the Hawks posted a .148 hitting percentage. New Paltz held a 5-4 edge in total blocks and a 78-75 cushion in digs, but Clarkson finished with a 61-48 margin in kills.

In the first set, Clarkson showed why it earned a national ranking, as it took at 17-9 lead and appeared headed toward an easy victory in the set. The Hawks scored two straight points to draw within six, but two consecutive Golden Knight points put the deficit back to eight. New Paltz then started to rally, receiving three straight kills from junior outside hitter Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder), a kill from junior outside hitter Alex Bizub (Linden, N.J./Cranford) and a block assist from Bizub and freshman middle blocker Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) to prompt a Clarkson timeout. The Golden Knights broke the streak with a kill by junior middle hitter Adrienne Walker, and not long after that, the home team forced set point at 24-21 with a termination by sophomore outside hitter Victoria Kirkemo. The Hawks received a pair of kills from Borquist and a kill from Bizub to knot the tally at 24-all, but Liang put Clarkson back in front with a termination on the next rally. A Golden Knight service ace tied the score once again, and Roessler pounded a kill to give the Hawks set point. Roessler and Bizub then ended the stanza with a block assist, which handed New Paltz a 27-25 win in the first.

New Paltz did not need to play from behind as much in the second, snatching a 16-13 edge after kills from Roessler and Borquist. Clarkson went on a 4-0 tear to seize the lead before senior middle hitter Liz Hauser (East Williston, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) leveled the tally at 17-all. The Golden Knights started scoring points in bunches, and Durio eventually brought up set point with a termination at 24-20. A Kirkemo attacking error, a Borquist kill and a Roessler solo block forced Clarkson to take a timeout, and Borquist was able to bring the Hawks all the way back with a kill on the next rally. A New Paltz attacking error gave Clarkson a 25-24 lead before Roessler knotted the score up with a kill on the next point. A Liang kill and a Hawk attacking error ultimately gave the Golden Knights the second set by a 27-25 final.

In the third, the two teams played close until a 4-0 Clarkson run turned an 11-all tie into a 15-11 lead. New Paltz wound up battling back with three straight Bizub kills that cut the deficit to two at 18-16, but the Hawks were unable to score consecutive points down the stretch and lost the third, 25-18. Notably, of Clarkson's final eight points, five came off unforced New Paltz attacking errors.

The Hawks were forced to chase once again in the fourth, and a Golden Knight service error that cut the Clarkson lead to three at 14-11 gave New Paltz some life. The Golden Knights then scored three straight points to take a 17-11 advantage, and they wound up scoring six more unanswered points following a service error to go up 23-12. New Paltz battled back with three straight points to pull within eight at 23-15, but Clarkson scored the final two points of the set to prevail, 25-15, in the match-clinching fourth.

Borquist's double-double of 17 kills and 14 digs led the Hawks, while Herbst also finished with a double-double, notching 11 kills and 12 digs. King dished out 39 assists and completed the double-double with 14 digs, while senior libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) played an inspired match defensively with 24 digs. Roessler finished with eight kills and four total blocks.

For Clarkson, four student-athletes reached double-digit kill figures: Kirkemo (16), Liang (16), Walker (11) and sophomore outside hitter Aishvina Arasu (10). Liang earned the regional's Most Outstanding Player honor due largely to her efficiency in hitting, as she posted a .400 hitting percentage for the match. Durio provided 52 assists, nine digs and four service aces, while Chin defended a match-high 33 digs.

The loss marked the end of an era for New Paltz women's volleyball, as King and Hack finished as the program's all-time leaders in assists and digs, respectively.