INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Buffalo State (25-9) learned it will face the University of Chicago (26-10) at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., to open its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this Thursday at 3 p.m. when the NCAA revealed the complete Division III playoff bracket this morning.
The Bengals earned the SUNYAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tourney when they captured the program's first-ever conference title, blitzing top-seeded host New Paltz in four sets yesterday. Buffalo State entered the league tournament as the No. 2 seed after an 8-1 regular season record and cruised to the finals for the second-consecutive year, rolling past Cortland in straight sets in the semifinals.
Chicago earned the automatic bid from the University Athletic Association (UAA) by upsetting Emory in four sets in the title game on Saturday.
Junior Samantha Parente (E. Patchogue/Bellport) was named MVP of the SUNYAC tournament and has led the Buffalo State offense all season. She ranks among the league leaders in both kills (376) and hitting percentage (.258).
Senior libero
Chelsea Moore (Kenmore/Kenmore West) anchors the real strength of the team on the defensive end. Moore leads the SUNYAC with 617 digs and also ranks among the league leaders with 58 service aces.
Two more seniors have had a huge impact on all facets of the Bengals' success this season. Setter
Kelsey Bashore (Antwerp, OH/Antwerp) is third in the SUNYAC with 1,139 assists and has 410 digs. Meanwhile, outside hitter
Sarah Horvath (Blasdell/Immaculata) is perhaps the team's most versatile player with 173 kills, 33 aces and 435 digs.
Sophomores
Kayla Pyc (Grand Island/Grand Island) and
Hannah Renaldo (N. Collins/N. Collins) and junior
Jessica Crooks (Niagara Falls/Niagara-Wheatfield) solidify the Bengals front row. Pyc has 243 kills and a team-high 88 blocks. Renaldo has 194 kills, and Crooks has 249 kills and 87 blocks.
If Buffalo State wins on Thursday, it will face the winner of Wittenberg/Bluffton on Friday at 4:30 p.m. also at Calvin.
FULL NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
