Tournament Web Page
FREDONIA, N.Y. - The 2010 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament begins Thursday with two quarterfinal games hosted on the campus of Fredonia State. The field was set at the conclusion of the regular season with Fredonia earning the No. 1 seed in the West Division. Six teams have qualified for the chance to win the postseason conference championship and earn the SUNYAC's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships.
 

Fredonia is the top seed in the west for the fourth straight year. The Blue Devils posted a perfect 8-0 record in conference pool play and are currently 24-12 on the season. They are making their eighth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament and looking to re-claim the SUNYAC championship after a one-year absence from the pedestal. Senior Kaitlin Erdmann leads the team in hitting percentage (.346) and is 44th in Division III.
 

Cortland went 7-1 in SUNYAC play and is currently riding a nine match win streak, improving its overall record to 31-7. They Red Dragons advanced to the championship game last season and lost in the semifinals in 2008 prior to winning five consecutive titles from 2003-07. Ashley Coyle is ranked 29th in kills per set (3.93) and Kristen Guercio is 23rd in assists per set (10.5). The team is ranked in several national categories including 48th in hitting percentage (.232).
 

Reigning SUNYAC champion New Paltz is the second seed in the East with a 26-10 overall record and 6-2 in the conference. The Hawks enter the tournament on a six-match win streak where they have not lost a set. Senior Dana Kindelmann ranks 32nd in hitting percentage (.356), following last weekend's performance at the Skidmore Invitational where she recorded just one error in 54 swings.
 

New Paltz will be facing the No. 3 seed from the West, Buffalo State (15-18, 4-4). The Bengals are making their first tournament appearance since 2002 when they lost in the quarterfinals to Cortland. Allyson Pierce is averaging 0.93 blocks per game. The two teams have not faced each other since the first match of the 2008 season when the Hawks swept the Bengals 3-0.
 

SUNY Geneseo is making its seventh straight tournament appearance and enters as the No. 2 seed in the West (14-21, 5-3). The Knights have lost in the quarterfinals the last three years prior to advancing to the championship match in 2006. Sophomore Laura Galvin leads the conference with 4.92 digs per game.
 

Oneonta, the No. 3 seed in the East, will be taking on Geneseo in the first round on Thursday. The Red Dragons have won their last five matches including the last four by 3-0 sweeps. Oneonta comes into the tournament with an 18-17 record, after starting the season 3-12, led by Megan Boeltz who is ranked 36th in the Division III with 1.11 blocks per set.
 

Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students for each day. In addition, the matches will be webcast via Ustream.com free of charge. For more information visit the tournament web page.

Schedule of Games
Thursday, November 4
2:00 p.m. - New Paltz (#2 East) vs. Buffalo State (#3 West)
5:00 p.m. - Geneseo (#2 West) vs. Oneonta (#3 East)

Friday, November 5
3:00 p.m. - Fredonia vs. Winner of Thursday's 2:00 p.m. match
6:00 p.m. - Cortland vs. Winner of Thursday's 5:00 p.m. match

Saturday, November 6
2:00 p.m. - Championship match