CORTLAND, NY – The #2 Buffalo State women's volleyball team fought off a tough #3 SUNY Morrisville Mustangs team, 3-2, clinching their first trip to the SUNYAC Finals since 2013.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: #2 Buffalo State – 3, #3 SUNY Morrisville – 2
SET SCORES: (23-25, 18-25, 27-25, 25-23, 15-10)
LOCATION: Whitney T. Corey '43 Gymnasium – Cortland, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 20-9 (8-1 SUNYAC), SUNY Morrisville: 15-12 (6-3 SUNYAC)
 
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Samantha Coakley (Lockport, NY/Lockport) led the Bengals with 22 kills, keeping the Bengals afloat in a tough battle. Backing her up was Kate Rutigliano (Martinsville, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) with 9 kills for the Bengals offense.
• Karlie Shaffer (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) led the Bengals with 36 assists, while Ella Wittman (Cheektowaga, NY/Springville-Griffith), Adi Vergara (Rio Grande, Puerto Rico/Kingdom Christian), and Eden Harrison (Sykesville, MD/Century) backed up the Bengals defensively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Entering tonight's semifinals matchup, the Bengals looked to carry their momentum from a successful end of season into the playoffs. However, the Mustangs felt otherwise, stealing the first two sets from the Bengals 25-23 and 25-18…putting the Bengals in contention of being swept out of the SUNYAC playoffs.
• In a resilient effort, the Bengals fought back from their deficit, stealing the third set 27-25 after a late comeback from the Mustangs. In the tying set, the Bengals locked back into the team coaches, family and friends saw from experience, clinching a fifth set finale in tonight's semifinal bout.
• From their backs against the wall, to prime position to a SUNYAC finals appearance, the Bengals opened the fifth set in a dominating fashion, rallying five-straight points. However, the Mustangs wouldn't go down without a fight, trading points with the Bengals before another five-point rally pulled the Bengals ahead. The lead would be too much for the Mustangs to overcome, with the Bengals pulling off a resilient comeback win over the Mustangs.
• The Bengals appearance in the SUNYAC finals would be it's first since 2013, where they went on to win the tournament and clinch a berth in the D-III NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament.  

FOR THE FOES

• Emily Huppee led the Mustangs with 34 kills and 17 digs.
• Cassandra Bellmore was credited with 54 assists on the night for the Mustangs.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will return to action tomorrow evening, taking on the top-seeded Cortland Red Dragons in the SUNYAC Championship game at 5:00 P.M.