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CORTLAND, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women’s volleyball team (26-10) is headed to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Volleyball Championship Tournament final for the fourth time in as many years, as the Hawks bested SUNY Fredonia (26-11), 3-2 (19-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 15-12), on Friday evening in the semifinal round of the 2011 edition of the tournament at SUNY Cortland’s Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium.

New Paltz, the East Division’s No. 2 seed, will face No. 18 Cortland, the East Division’s No. 1 seed, tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the title match. Cortland is 2-0 this year against the Hawks and sports an overall record of 38-1.

In addition to making the championship match for the fourth straight year, the Hawks have now officially achieved no fewer than 26 victories for the eighth straight season.

Fredonia, the West Division’s No. 1 seed, battled back and forth with the Hawks early in the first set, and after leading 20-17, the Blue Devils rattled off three straight kills to push the score to 23-17. That run wound up being crippling in the frame for New Paltz, as the Hawks succumbed by a 25-19 score in set one.

In the second stanza, Fredonia led in the early goings, but the Hawks went on an 8-0 run after trailing 15-12. During this tear, junior middle hitter Dana Vosilla (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) floored two kills. The Hawks wound up maintaining a sizable cushion the rest of the frame and knotted the score at 1-all.

The score was tied a total of 14 times in the third set, the last being at 23-23. Vosilla made the tally 23-22, but Fredonia tied the match on a block assist by Jennifer Newhouse and Chelsea Senn. Two New Paltz errors gave the Blue Devils the final two points and the 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.

Fredonia appeared headed for the deciding blow in the fourth, leading 17-13. The Hawks utilized a 6-2 run capped by two kills from junior outside hitter Michelle Jacobson (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) to tie the score at 19-all, and they mounted a two-point advantage at 22-20. Two Fredonia straight block assists, however, knotted the tally once again, but the Blue Devils were done in by a service error and an attacking error, giving the Hawks set point. Senn pulled Fredonia within one at 24-23, but senior outside hitter Melinda DiGiovanna (West Hempstead, N.Y./West Hempstead) slammed down a kill to send the match into a deciding fifth frame.

The score was tied six times early in the fifth, but New Paltz went into the turn with the lead after sophomore setter Brigid Moore’s (Victor, N.Y./Victor) service ace made the tally 8-6. Vosilla landed a pair of kills to make the score 10-7, and Fredonia took its second timeout after New Paltz scored two straight to go up 12-8. The Blue Devils scored three consecutive points coming out of the timeout to cut the deficit to one at 12-11. DiGiovanna swelled the lead to back two with a kill, but a Hawk error made it a one-point set at 13-12. Junior middle hitter Laura Stanhewicz (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) scored New Paltz’s final two points, hammering down a kill before notching a block solo to give the Hawks the emotional victory.

Jacobson, DiGiovanna and sophomore setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Candandaigua Academy) each had double-doubles for New Paltz. Jacobson hit .304 off 19 kills and five errors in 46 total attempts in addition to 18 digs, while DiGiovanna collected 17 kills and 18 digs. King kept the offensive moving with a team-high 51 assists and chipped in 12 digs. Vosilla posted double figures in kills with 11, and sophomore Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) shored up the back row with a team-high 24 digs. Stanhewicz controlled the net on defense, finishing the evening with two block solos and three block assists.

For Fredonia, Sarah Zureck had an impressive match, finishing with 35 digs. Brittany Lis had a double-double with 58 assists and 19 digs, while Lindsey Olson posted a double-double as well with 17 kills and 15 digs. Senn was dominant defensively with four block solos and seven block assists, and Newhouse added five block assists. Offensively, Olson led the way with 17 kills, while Hannah Manning (15), Newhouse (14) and Emily Linn (10) all contributed double-digit totals in addition to Olson.