Potsdam, NY - In a rematch from just a few weeks ago, fourth-seeded SUNY New Paltz was able to repeat its performance against fifth-seeded Skidmore College with a four-set victory in the opening round of the NCAA New York Volleyball Regional Friday afternoon at Clarkson University's Alumni Gymnasium.
The Hawks improved to 33-8 on the season and await the winner of Colby-Sawyer/Cortland for tomorrow's NCAA NY Regional Semifinal at 3:30 pm. Skidmore College had its 2012 season end with a record of 26-8.
The Hawks attacked from a variety of angles with freshman outside hitter Becca Borquist producing a double-double with a game-high 16 kills to go along with 11 digs. Michelle Jacobson chipped in 15 kills and 14 digs of her own to add to the outside's offense. New Paltz used its share of runs in the match to jump ahead at key points. With the score knotted up at 9-9 in the first set, the Hawks won five of the next six points and were able to hold the Thoroughbreds at arm's length for the remainder of the set to take at 25-19 victory. The second set was an entirely different matter, as Skidmore found its groove offensively, with middles Elise Finnerty and Corinne Palmer producing a number of kills for an overwhelming 13-point edge. However, that set would be the only one that the Thoroughbreds would take from the Hawks in 2012, as New Paltz once again used a five-point run midway through the third set to quickly change the course of the set. Trailing by one point (11-10), New Paltz scored five straight and finished the match with a 15-5 run following the deficit. The final set didn't have the same kind of drama as the Hawks came out with a significant advantage and it was only a late rally from Skidmore that brought the Thoroughbreds back to within a reasonable distance at the conclusion, 25-17.
For the Hawks, Dana Vosilla tallied up eight digs on 26 attempts with no errors and added in four block assists. Liz Hauser also was solid in the middle with seven kills and just a single error in 18 swings. Marissa King ran the offense with 46 assists and also had three aces, bested only by the four aces from Katy Herbst. Carrie Hack led the squad with 16 digs.
The Thoroughbreds received an outstanding performance from senior libero Sam Friedman, who came through with 29 digs in four sets. Classmate Carolyn Bottelier had a team-best 13 kills with no errors in 26 swings, and junior middle hitter Elise Finnerty added 11 kills. Senior Mallory Mendelsohn had 39 assists and seven digs.
