PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Cortland rallied to score the final eight points of the fifth set as the Red Dragons defeated Buffalo State in SUNYAC play. Cortland opened the day with a four-set win over Plattsburgh to finish a perfect 3-0 weekend and the Red Dragons clinched the third seed for the six-team conference postseason tournament.
Cortland (13-17, 6-3 SUNYAC) will face Buffalo State in the SUNYAC quarterfinals Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. at league regular-season champion New Paltz, which finished 9-0. Fredonia earned the second seed and a quarterfinal bye with a 7-2 mark, followed by Cortland at 6-3. Brockport and Oswego tied for fourth with 5-4 marks, with Brockport earning the fourth seed by head-to-head tiebreaker. Buffalo State, Geneseo and Oneonta all finished 4-5, but the Bengals beat both Geneseo and Oneonta to grab the sixth and final tournament spot.
Cortland beat Buffalo State in a five-set battle, 16-25, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11. Buffalo State led 11-7 in the fifth before the Red Dragons fought back with three straight
Mary Kelly (Guilderland) kills and a Buffalo State attack error to tie the set at 11-11.
Janine Patora (Salt Point/Arlington) registered two straight kills to put Cortland up 13-11, and the Red Dragons ended the comeback with kills by Kelly and Patora.
The Red Dragons also came from behind to win the third set. Cortland trailed 23-21 but scored the last four points – the first on a Patora kill and the last three on blocks. Patora and
Jessie Allen (Syracuse/West Genesee) combined on the first block, followed by
Liz Roberts (Island Park/West Hempstead) and Allen on the second and Patora with a solo block to end the set.
Patora led Cortland with 21 kills and added 15 digs, three aces and three blocks. Kelly had 14 kills and
Kayla Pollock (Massapequa) finished with 12 kills. Roberts totaled 52 assists for an average of more than 10 per set and contributed 11 digs and three blocks. Allen led the team with four blocks and
Ashley Ruggiero (Smithtown/Smithtown East) finished with 30 digs, while
Melanie McGuirk (Lido Beach/Kellenberg) chipped in with 13 digs.
Cortland opened the day with a 25-17, 25-13, 18-25, 25-23 win over host Plattsburgh. Patora paced the Red Dragons with 18 kills and four aces along with nine digs.
Sydney Hayward (Trumansburg) finished with 11 kills and five blocks and Kelly added 10 kills and a team-high eight blocks.
Roberts averaged more than 11 assists per set with 46 total and tallied 13 digs. McGuirk served three aces and Ruggiero totaled a team-best 28 digs.
Cortland will play at home for the final time during the regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 29, when it hosts Elmira in a 6 p.m. non-league match.
