Potsdam, NY - With the match knotted up at one set apiece and trailing by five points midway through the third set, Cortland rattled off eight straight points to change the outlook of the match, and the Red Dragons completed their comeback in extra time to win the pivotal third set, moving on to win the NCAA New York Regional Final in four sets over second-seeded Middlebury College, 21-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-18, Sunday afternoon at Clarkson University's Alumni Gymnasium.
SUNY Cortland advances to the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Championships next weekend to be held at Washington University in St. Louis. The eight regional champions will face off starting on November 18th, with the Division III NCAA Championship game being held on Sunday, November 20th. The Red Dragons improved to 42-1 overall while Middlebury concluded its season with an overall record of 23-9.
In the first set, Middlebury came out with a strong hitting attack while Cortland's defense seemed ill-prepared for the multiple options that the Panthers possessed. Finding a rhythm shortly thereafter, the Red Dragons closed the gap to three points in the early going, but Middlebury hung tough and continued to get kills, led by Megan Jarchow, who produced six kills and only one error on seven swings in the first set.
During the second set, neither team could get much of an advantage as the teams traded points back and forth. Cortland had a pair of three-point leads, including a 20-17 edge that forced a Middlebury timeout. The Panthers came back with three straight scores to tie the game at 20-20, and the two teams were stilled tied at 22 when Ashley Coyle delivered back-to-back kills to give Cortland a lead it would not relinquish. Sheena Asibey closed out the set with a block to tie the match up at 1-1.
In the pivotal third set, it appeared as if Middlebury would pick up some momentum and put Cortland on the brink of elimination, leading 10-5 and pushing Cortland into a timeout. After the team traded points to make the score 11-6, Cortland streaked for eight straight points to take a 14-11 lead and never lost the lead again. Julia Gibbs of Middlebury put a scare into the Red Dragons with consecutive aces to cut the gap to two late, but Cortland responded to take a three-point edge, 23-20. However, the Panthers scored three straight points to tie the score once again, and the two teams needed extra time when they exchanged the next four points. Ashley Coyle delivered yet another kill and Aubrey Barrett continued her outstanding tournament performance with a kill to close out the set, which Cortland won, 27-25.
The fourth set was tight as well with the Red Dragons up by just a single point, 15-14, following a kill from Middlebury's Amy Hart. But once again, Cortland went on a streak of seven straight points thanks to three straight blocks from Aubrey Barrett, giving the Red Dragons a 22-14 lead. Though the Panthers scored a handful of points to keep the set going, the early celebration began on the Cortland bench and pushed on to the court after a kill from middle hitter Kaitlyn Cooper gave Cortland the 25-18 victory.
Cortland's Ashley Coyle, the Regional's Most Outstanding Player, finished with 16 kills and 16 digs and Katie Wick added 11 kills and 18 digs. Sheena Asibey produced nine kills and six total blocks in the middle for the Red Dragons. Kristen Guercio had 44 assists and was chosen to the All-Regional Team as was Aubrey Barrett. Cortland finished with 13 blocks and hit .483 in the final set (15-1-29).
For Middlebury, Amy Hart, Megan Jarchow, and Julia Gibbs were eached named to the All-Regional Team. Hart hit .433 in the match with 16 kills and just three errors in 30 swings while Jarchow had 17 kills and a .316 hitting percentage. Julia Gibbs produced 52 assists and five aces and Caitlin Barrett had 16 digs for the Panthers. Jane Handel also had 15 kills and 15 digs, but was forced into 13 errors against Cortland's block.
