Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport volleyball team will finish up the regular season this week with three non-conference matchups. Brockport hosts RIT on Tuesday at 6 pm and then travels to the Ithaca Tri-Match on Saturday for games against Ithaca and NYU at 11 am and 1:30 pm.
 
SUNYAC Bracket Finalized: The reigning 2019 SUNYAC Champions have clinched the three seed for the upcoming SUNYAC Tournament. For the first round of action Brockport will have the opportunity to host, while seeds one and two get a bye in the opening round. The Green and Gold host Buffalo State at 6 pm on Tuesday, November 2^nd. The winner moves on to the Semifinals at the top seeded SUNY Cortland, where it will face Geneseo for a chance to make the SUNYAC Finals. On the other side of the bracket, Fredonia hosts New Paltz in the opening round for the chance to take on Cortland in the semifinal round.
 
Last Time Out: Brockport went 1-1 last weekend to solidify its spot as the third seed for the conference tournament. The squad swept Oneonta on the road, 3-0, before falling to New Paltz 1-3 the next day. The loss to New Paltz snapped a five-match win streak and puts the team's record at 15-7 overall and 6-3 in SUNYAC competition.
 
Finishing Strong: With just three matches left before the postseason begins, the Green and Gold has been playing well down the stretch. Despite a loss in the most recent outing, the team has six wins in its last eight matches. Brockport will be tested in this final week of the regular season playing three teams in a row that are either nationally ranked or have been receiving top 25 votes at one point in the year.
 
No Place Like Home: Tuesday night's matchup with RIT will be at home, as the Golden Eagles have been incredible protecting their nest. They remain unbeaten in the Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium, holding a 10-0 mark this season at home. The calendar goes all the way back to September 14^th, 2019 which was the last time Brockport lost on its home floor. The squad has since won 18 straight home contests.
 
Team Leaders: Andrea Coyle and Meaghan Mastro lead the team with 229 and 227 kills this season, both ranking top five in the conference. Leading the team in service aces for the third straight season, Shelby Budnick leads the SUNYAC with 46 aces to her credit. Ranking second in the conference, Kerri McHale has totaled 552 assists this season. Budnick and teammate Madalyn Bowen are both top 10 in the conference with over 230 digs each. Mastro also leads Brockport with 59 total blocks to make the top 10 in the SUNYAC stats chart.
 
Looking at RIT: The Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers have been rolling this season and are currently on a 15-game winning streak heading into Tuesday's match. They are 23-2 overall and were recently included in the top 25 receiving votes category in the AVCA Coaches Poll. During this hot streak the Tigers have recorded a 3-0 sweep of their opponent on 10 separate occasions. Brockport defeated RIT, 3-1, in the last meeting between the programs making it six in a row for Brockport over RIT.
 
Looking at Ithaca: This will be the second meeting of the season between the Ithaca Bombers and the Brockport Golden Eagles. Brockport got the better of Ithaca the first time out, earning a five-set victory 3-2. Ithaca is 14-10 overall this season and will take on both Cortland and Oneonta prior to the weekend's tri-match. In the last battle Andrea Coyle, Meaghan Mastro, Megan Loomis, and Jordan Thompson all finished with at least 10 kills. Defensively Madalyn Bowen,  Shelby Budnick, and Ellen Paddock all had more than 15 digs.
 
Looking at NYU: The New York University Violets are currently 20-1 overall on the season and recently were ranked nationally at 13^th in last week's AVCA Coaches Poll. They have won four straight and will take on Vassar College prior to Saturday's matchup with Brockport. Against common opponents, both teams are 2-1 as NYU has a loss to Carnegie Mellon but wins over U of R and Cortland. Brockport in comparison has wins over U of R and Carnegie Mellon but a loss to Cortland.
 
SUNYACs Coming Up: Following this quick road trip this weekend, the Golden Eagles prepare for the first round of the SUNYAC Tournament. They will host the sixth seeded Buffalo State Bengals on Tuesday, November 2^nd at 6 pm.