The Women’s volleyball team won their second SUNYAC championship in program history this past Sunday, Nov. 9. The team now holds an overall record of 31-5 and has shown consistency with a 10-game winning streak thus far.
The team played two deciding games this weekend and shut out both of their competitors in three sets each. In the first matchup of the weekend on Saturday, Nov. 8, the Hawks swept the Brockport Golden Eagles in the semifinals 25-8, 25-21, 25-15. The Hawks then completed a second straight sweep against the second-seeded Fredonia Blue Devils 25-19, 25-16, 25-19 the following day.
Third-year outside hitter Becca Borquist earned the SUNYAC Tournament MVP title after leading all tournament participants with 34 total kills over the weekend. Borquist alongside fourth-year libero Katy Herbst and fourth-year middle hitter Alli Coleman were elected to the All-Tournament Team.
Fourth-year right side hitter Alex Bizub, who produced a service ace for the final point of the tournament that secured the Hawk’s title as SUNYAC champions, said the meshing of players on the team is what has brought them to this point.
“We work together as one very well,” she said. “We have a lot of individual talent, but it means nothing if you can’t mesh together and I think we do that almost perfectly.”
The Hawks aren’t foreign to the playoff atmosphere, having reached the NCAA tournament in ‘08, ‘09,‘12 and ‘13. Head Coach Matt Giufre said he believes the team’s experience under pressure played to their advantage this weekend.
“We know what it’s like to play in a one and done situation,” Giufre said. “We’ve played a very tough schedule this year and all of those matches fully prepared us for anything we would face in the tournament.”
Giufre earned his second consecutive SUNYAC Coach of the Year award after leading his team to an undefeated conference record. This achievement will mark the fifth time he’s earned this prestigious award in 12 years coaching the Hawks.
With this victory, the Hawks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they will face Haverford College in the first round. This matchup takes place at Christopher Newport University’s Freeman Center in Newport News, Virginia on Friday, Nov. 14.
“We don’t know a lot about Haverford, so we have been working out our own kinks rather than focusing too much on what’s ahead,” Bizub said. “We don’t want to jinx ourselves – but we would love to keep winning.”