Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – For the second time in program history and for the first time since 2009, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team can call itself the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champion. The top-seeded Hawks captured the conference title on Sunday afternoon in the SUNYAC Tournament final at the Hawk Center, defeating second-seeded SUNY Fredonia, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-19).

By virtue of winning the SUNYAC title, New Paltz earns the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament, marking its third straight and fifth overall appearance in the national tournament. The full tournament field will be announced tomorrow afternoon.

Junior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) was named the Tournament MVP, while senior libero Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) and senior middle hitter Alli Coleman (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central) joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Other All-Tournament selections included junior libero Lauren Hokaj and junior opposite Paulina Rein from Fredonia, senior outside hitter Sam Parente from Buffalo State and senior outside hitter/libero Jaime Snyder from The College at Brockport.

New Paltz rises to 31-5 overall with the win and has now won 14 of its past 15 matches and 10 straight. Fredonia, which is regionally-ranked in the NCAA rankings, drops to 23-11 and will now wait to see if it gains an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The Hawks limited the Blue Devils to just .036 hitting and 23 kills for the match, and they outgained Fredonia, 9-4, in service aces. New Paltz, meanwhile, hit .176, improving its hitting percentage as the match wore on. Fredonia did best New Paltz at the net defensively with eight total team blocks to the Hawks' six.

Fredonia bounced back from a 19-11 deficit in the first set, scoring eight of the next 10 points to draw within two at 21-19. The Hawks then pulled away with four straight points to close the set, with sophomore middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) being involved in three of the four terminal plays.

The Hawks took an early lead in the second set following back-to-back Blue Devil ball-handling errors, and it was an advantage New Paltz would not relinquish in the set. With an 18-15 cushion, the Hawks scored seven of the set's final eight points to claim a decisive 25-16 victory in the second.

Fredonia dug itself out of an early hole in the third, and a service ace by sophomore outside hitter Sara Madison capped a 3-0 Blue Devil run that pulled Fredonia within two at 10-8. The Blue Devils even drew within one a few points later, as junior middle blocker Jessica DiChristopher and junior setter Kelly Edinger posted a block assist to make it a 12-11 score. New Paltz started pulling away before Fredonia countered and came within four points at 22-18, prompting a New Paltz timeout. The Hawks were able to close out the match, though, scoring three of the set's final four points, and a service ace by senior right side Alex Bizub (Linden, N.J./Cranford) sealed the result.

Borquist provided a big match both offensively and defensively for the Hawks, posting 17 kills and 16 digs. Coleman added eight kills, while freshman setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) dished out 37 assists. Defensively, Herbst and sophomore outside hitter Anna Paulik (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) joined Borquist in double-digit dig figures with 17 and 10 digs, respectively, while Roessler tallied four total blocks.

For Fredonia, Rein led the way with eight kills and 16 digs, while Edinger doled out 19 assists. Hokaj shored up the back row defensively, too, with 17 digs, while freshman middle blocker Jane Garrity put up five block assists.