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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The top-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team edged SUNY Plattsburgh, 3-2 (25-13, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26, 15-8), in the semifinal round of the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament Saturday evening at the Hawk Center, advancing to Sunday's 12 p.m. final against second-seeded Buffalo State.

Buffalo State prevailed, 3-0, over sixth-seeded SUNY Cortland in Saturday's 3 p.m. semifinal match.

New Paltz (32-5) came from behind in the fourth set and battled to even the score at 23-all after a kill by junior outside hitter Alli Coleman (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central). Plattsburgh (17-15) received back-to-back kills from sophomore middle hitter Laura Diehl and junior outside hitter Maggie Schrantz after the two teams traded points to lock up a 26-24 set win.

The two squads played close for the first 10 points of the fifth set, as a Hawk attacking error tied the score at 5-all. New Paltz, however, prevented a reversal of fortunes from its five-set win over the Cardinals from earlier this season, as a 6-0 run that was capped off by a kill from freshman middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) put the Hawks out in front, 11-5. Plattsburgh scored just three more points the entire set, and New Paltz survived the Cardinals' upset bid.

The Hawks went on cruise control in the first set, extending an early 5-3 edge into an 11-3 advantage after notching six straight points, four of which came off Cardinal miscues. New Paltz continued to widen the gap, and a service ace by senior middle hitter Liz Hauser (East Williston, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) put the score at 20-8 in favor of the home team. The Cardinals staged a small rally after a kill by junior outside hitter Alex Bizub (Linden, N.J./Cranford) put the score at 21-9, scoring four of the next five points. New Paltz, however, closed the stanza by landing three straight points.

Set two appeared headed the Hawks' way after a Cardinal service error put New Paltz on top, 13-8, but Plattsburgh scored six of the next seven points before a Hawk attacking error prompted a New Paltz timeout. Another Hawk error following the timeout gave the Cardinals the lead. New Paltz scored back-to-back points just once the rest of the frame, and Plattsburgh evened the score at one set apiece.

The Hawks stormed out of the gates in the third, building up a 9-2 lead. Plattsburgh wound up scoring four straight points, two of which came off service aces by sophomore setter Kristen Marchisotto, to draw within three, and the two teams battled back and forth the rest of the way in the stanza. Plattsburgh ultimately was unable to overcome the early hole, and New Paltz put itself in the driver's seat to win the match with a 2-1 lead in sets won.

A see-saw battle ensued in the fourth, and after New Paltz claimed a 17-16 edge, the Cardinals scored four straight points to go up by three at 20-17. Following a Hawk timeout, New Paltz battled back to even with a Coleman kill, a service ace by senior setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and a Cardinal attack error. Plattsburgh put New Paltz on the ropes with three straight points after that, but the Hawks went on to respond in turn and leveled the score at 23-all. Plattsburgh's attack got the job done in the clutch, though, gaining the requisite kills it needed to force a fifth set.

For the match, New Paltz outhit Plattsburgh, .155-to-.121, and the Hawks totaled seven blocks to the Cardinals' two. New Paltz was also strong off the serve with 12 aces.

Senior libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) enjoyed an incredible match defensively for New Paltz, corralling a match-high 35 digs. Junior outside hitter Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder), Roessler and sophomore outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) led the Hawk attack with 13 kills each, while King handed out 51 assists and added five blocks. Herbst and Borquist completed the double-double with 19 and 18 digs, respectively.

For Plattsburgh, graduate student outside hitter/right side Rosi Cummings closed out her impressive collegiate career with 17 kills and 22 digs, while Schrantz and Diehl totaled 11 kills each. Schrantz finished with a double-double as well, adding 17 digs. Senior libero Amanda Wickers matched Hack in defensive prowess, recording 30 digs.

The winner of Sunday's championship final will earn the SUNYAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Tournament.