CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland won its second straight Red Dragon Women's Volleyball Classic title and its 17th crown in the 28-year history of the event with three-set sweeps versus Skidmore College in the semifinals and Buffalo State in the championship match.
Cortland (4-0), ranked 13th nationally in Division III, defeated defending Liberty League champion Skidmore by scores of 25-19, 25-22, 25-16, then knocked off Buffalo State in the finals, 25-22, 25-16, 25-23, in a matchup of SUNYAC schools. Buffalo State's second-place showing is its best in the Bengals' 19 appearances at the Red Dragon Classic. Also in the 12-team tournament, Rochester defeated Rowan to win the “Gold” pool and Lebanon Valley rallied from two sets down to beat Baruch in the “Silver” pool finale.
Cortland senior middle hitter
Natalie Zacpal (Islip) and junior middle hitter
Ava Hintz (East Aurora) were named to the all-tournament team. Zacpal registered 13 kills and just one error in 21 attempts versus Skidmore and had six kills with no errors, along with six blocks, against Buffalo State. Hintz posted a team-high 14 kills against Skidmore and added 11 kills, with only one error, in 23 attempts in the finals.
Junior opposite
Aubrey Barrett (Liverpool) finished with a combined 17 kills in the two matches. She had eight kills to go along with four aces in the semifinals and totaled nine kills in the finals. Senior
Kristen Guercio (Smithtown/Smithtown East) tallied 43 assists and 10 digs against Skidmore and had 30 assists against Buffalo State.
Freshman outside hitter
Kim Givelechian (Roslyn Heights/Herricks) finished with 13 digs and four kills in the Skidmore match and 11 digs in the Buffalo State contest. Senior outside hitter
Ashley Coyle (Mt. Hope/Minisink Valley) and junior libero
Krissy Silk (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) both recorded double-figure dig totals in each match. Silk amassed 14 versus Skidmore and 12 against Buffalo State, while Coyle had 11 against Skidmore and 13 versus Buffalo State.
Cortland will compete at the Nazareth College Golden Flyer Invitational Sept. 7-8. The Red Dragons will face nationally 18th-ranked Mount Union, along with Fredonia, on Friday, then Nazareth and Clarkson Saturday.
Tournament Results page (includes all-tournament team listing)
