SUNYAC PLAYOFFS OUTLOOK – #3 SUNY MORRISVILLE MUSTANGS VS #2 BUFFALO STATE BENGALS

Friday, November 15, 2024 – 7:00 PM
Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium – Cortland, NY

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VIDEO (OFFICIAL SUNYAC BROADCAST)
 
LAST TIME OUT… In their last match of the 2024 season, the Bengals defeated the SUNY Geneseo Knights and the John Carroll University Blue Streaks in a tri-match at Buffalo State's Sports Arena. Ella Wittman led the Bengals with 43 kills in the combined games, with Karlie Shaffer compiling 47 assists in the two games with 31 digs.

THE MATCHUP… The #2 seed Buffalo State Bengals will look to claim their first SUNYAC championship since 2013, as they play as the home team against the three seeded SUNY Morrisville Mustangs at Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium in Cortland, NY.

Friday's matchup will be the eighth matchup between these two opponents, with the Bengals holding six wins to one loss record against the Mustangs. The 2024 season is also the first season the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs joined the SUNYAC, with the previous matchup between these two teams taking place in 2018.

Buffalo State will be competing in the in their fourth-consecutive SUNYAC playoffs, with this year's team finishing at their highest seed since 2013, where they went on to win the SUNYAC playoffs and make it to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.

SUNY Morrisville will be competing in the program's first SUNYAC tournament.

The winner of this semifinal match will face off against the winner of #1 Cortland Red Dragons and #4 New Paltz Hawks on November 16^th at 5:00 P.M.
 
LAST TIME WE MET… In their lone matchup of the 2024 season, the Bengals swept the Mustangs, 3-0. Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith) was on fire for the Bengals, leading the team with 12 kills, and two aces.
 
Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) led the Bengals with 27 assists and was credited for two blocks on the night.
 
Nicole Delli Colli (Rye, NY/Rye) contributed for the Bengals with 12 digs, and six kills. 

THE BENGAL BREAKDOWN…  At 19-9 (8-1) SUNYAC), Buffalo State enters the tournament on a hot streak, winning five of their last six matches of the year. The Bengals will be looking to ride this wave of momentum in the SUNYAC tournament, with their eyes on the prize of a SUNYAC championship.

DON'T LOOK UP… Sophomore sensation, Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith) has been stellar this season, leading the Bengals with 391 kills. A two-time SUNYAC Athlete of the Week, Wittman is looking to add to her accomplishments while being a pivotal member of the Bengals attack.
 
YOU GET AN ASSIST, YOU GET AN ASSIST, EVERYBODY GETS AN ASSIST…The Bengals complied their most amount assists in a season, since 2014, with 1173. Leading the way for the Bengals were Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) with 644 total assists and April Jakubowski (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) with 348 total assists.
 
IT'S A BLOCK PARTY… The 2024 Bengals team posted their highest block total since 2022, a step in the right direction for the Bengals defense. Kate Rutigliano (Martinsville, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), in her first year with the program, led the Bengals with 71 blocks for the season. Backing her up were Eden Harrison (Sykesville, MD/Century) with 39 blocks and Samantha Coakley (Lockport, NY/Lockport) with 30.

DIG 'EM UP… The Bengals defensive strengths wasn't only in blocks, but also in digs. Following a common trend, the Bengals put up their best digs total, 1892, since the 2014 season. Leading the charge for the Bengals were Adi Vergara (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Kingdom Christian) with 326 digs, Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith) with 319 digs…with Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) following behind with 260.

RESEARCHING THE MUSTANGS… In their first season in the SUNYAC, the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs had a stellar season, compiling a regular season record of 15-11(6-3 SUNYAC) for the year. Because of a head-to-head tie breaker, the Mustangs finished above the New Paltz Hawks to gain the third seed for the SUNYAC playoffs.

Offensively, the Mustangs finished fourth in the SUNYAC with 1128 total kills for the season. Leading the charge for the Mustangs was Emily Huppee, who finished the season with 521 kills, with a 5.01 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .266. She also led the SUNYAC in points per set with 5.7, the closest being Wittman with 4.2.

Defensively, the Mustangs were middle of the pack for the SUNYAC, finishing with 1488 digs for the season, which would be sixth in the SUNYAC and 136 total blocks which put them fifth in the SUNYAC. Leading the way for the Mustangs on defense were Kayla Sheasby, who complied 422 digs on the season, putting her second in the SUNYAC and Samantha Siedlecki who finished with 69 total blocks, good for fourth in the SUNYAC.

The Mustangs will be looking for their first SUNYAC championship in program's history.
 
RESEARCHING THE HAWKS…  As the #4 seed in the SUNYAC playoffs, the SUNY New Paltz Hawks finished with a 16-12 (6-3 SUNYAC) record. Because of a head-to-head tie breaker, the Hawks finished below the Morrisville Mustangs, settling for the fourth seed for the SUNYAC playoffs.

Offensively, the Hawks finished third in the SUNYAC with 1154 kills on the season. Jamie Albrecht led the way for the Hawks finishing with 292 kills, which was good enough for fifth in the conference, 2.92 kills per set and a hitting percentage of .219.

Defensively, the Hawks finished with 1477 digs, placing them seventh in the SUNYAC, while compiling 141 total blocks, good enough for fourth in the SUNYAC. Leading for the Hawks on defense were Jordyn Lewis who finished with 335 digs, with Letisha Perez finishing the season with 52 blocks.

The Blue Devils will be looking for their fourth SUNYAC championship for the program, with their sights set on making it to back-to-back SUNYAC finals.
 
RESEARCHING THE RED DRAGONS…  Cortland continued its dominance in the SUNYAC, finishing with a 24-5 (9-0 SUNYAC) record on the year, while not losing a set in SUNYAC play. While finishing as the top seed in the SUNYAC, the Red Dragons will play host for the two-day tournament taking place Friday.

Offensively, the Red Dragons finished second in the SUNYAC with 1271 total kills. Anna Pikey finished with 253 kills, putting her at tenth in the SUNYAC, with Jennifer Koestner finishing 12^th in the SUNYAC with 239 kills.

Defensively, the Red Dragons finished fourth in the SUNYAC with 1581 but first in total blocks with 210. Mikenzie Martens led the SUNYAC with 462 digs, while Alexa Guedez led the SUNYAC with 89 blocks and teammate Emma Reilly trailing right behind with 82.

The Red Dragons will be looking to four-peat as SUNYAC champions and make their return to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.
 
 
SCHEDULES/RESULTS…
 
BUFFALO STATE BENGALS: 19-9 (8-1 SUNYAC)
 
SUNY MORRISVILLE MUSTANGS: 15-11 (6-3 SUNYAC)
 
NEW PALTZ HAWKS: 16-12 (6-3 SUNYAC)

CORTLAND RED DRAGONS: 24-5 (9-0 SUNYAC)