Brockport, NY – The SUNY Brockport volleyball team will host Buffalo State Tuesday night in the opening round of the SUNYAC Tournament. The third seeded Golden Eagles take on the sixth seeded Bengals at 6 pm to begin their 2019 SUNYAC Title defense.
Follow Along: Live statistics and video options are available for this postseason match. Check the following links below to keep up with the action.
Live Video:
https://gobrockport.com/watch/?Live=355&type=Live
Live Stats:
https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
Last Time Out: The Green and Gold traveled to compete at the Ithaca Tri-Match last weekend to close out the regular season with games against Ithaca and nationally ranked NYU. The squad lost a close one to Ithaca, 2-3, in an exciting rematch from earlier this season. The Brockport then fell to NYU, 3-0, to conclude the regular season with a record of 16-9 overall and 6-3 in the SUNYAC.
Pike's Postseason Performances: Since taking the reins of the program and missing the postseason back in 2013, Head Coach
Steve Pike has brought tremendous success to the team. Brockport has not missed the SUNYAC Tournament since that first season and has won four conference titles in the last five seasons (2019, 2017, 2016, 2015). A first round exit in 2018 is the only time Pike has not led the program to at least the semifinal round of the tournament. Most recently the team won the 2019 SUNYAC Championship and gets the chance to defend its title starting on Tuesday night.
SUNYAC Bracket: At 9-0 in conference play this season, Cortland earned the top seed while Geneseo at 8-1 is the second seed. Both secured a first-round bye and await the results of Tuesday night's first round contests. Brockport takes on Buffalo State, while Fredonia and New Paltz face off as well. The semifinal and final rounds will be hosted by Cortland this weekend. A win for the Green and Gold will grant an opportunity to face-off against Geneseo in the semifinals. New Paltz and Fredonia would then be battling for a chance to take on the top seeded Red Dragons.
2019 Title Run: The Golden Eagles entered the last SUNYAC Tournament as the second seed as they finished the regular season with a 7-2 mark in the conference. With a first round-bye they drew Cortland in the semifinals after the Red Dragons swept Oswego in the first round. The final four was held at Geneseo, which secured the number one seed going in. Brockport took care of Cortland with a 3-1 victory and its next opponent, Geneseo, did the same against Oneonta. The squad would earn the same triumphant score of 3-1 against the top seeded Geneseo Knights in the finals to claim the trophy.
Perfect at Home: Tuesday night's first round contest is likely to be the final home match of the year for the Brockport squad. This team has been perfect at home all season, owning an undefeated mark of 11-0 playing in the Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium. September 14
th, 2019 was the last loss at home for the Green and Gold, giving the team a 19-match win streak on the home floor going into the home postseason contest.
Hard Hitters: Andrea Coyle continues to lead the team in kills like she has all season long, with
Meaghan Mastro right behind her on the statistical chart. With a career-high 270 kills on the year, Coyle is top five in the SUNYAC. Mastro is also top five in the conference with her tally of 239 kills. Coyle is joined by sophomore
Megan Loomis in the top five in the league in kills per set with marks of 3.25 and 3.12 respectively. Mastro's 2.91 kills per set ranks just outside the top five at seventh in the SUNYAC.
Just Keep Digging: Madalyn Bowen and
Shelby Budnick have both spent time as the Brockport libero this season, leading the team in both digs and digs per set. Bowen has racked up 282 digs to earn an average of 3.28 digs per set, as she is top ten in the SUNYAC in digs. Budnick is also top ten in the conference with 276 digs and has worked for a mark of 3.17 digs per set this season.
Andrea Coyle is the third Golden Eagle to eclipse the 200-dig mark this year, adding yet another career-high mark with 210 digs.
Setting the Table: Starting setter,
Kerri McHale has also had a career season for the Green and Gold in her senior campaign. McHale has earned credit for a career-high 630 assists this season, ranking her third in the conference as one of just four players in the SUNYAC with more than 600. With 260 helpers,
Ashley Allen has gained valuable experience on the floor as a sophomore this year. Allen is second on the team in assists and makes the top 15 in the SUNYAC rankings.
Above the Net: Meaghan Mastro is top ten in the conference with her total of 62 blocks this season thanks to 35 block assists and 27 solo blocks. Fellow senior
Myah Frostclapp has done her part holding down the middle blocker spot as well, having a career season defensively. With career highs across the board in block assists (24), solo blocks (10), and total blocks (34) she has done so despite missing eight matches this year.
Buffalo State: At 3-6 in the SUNYAC, the Bengals enter Tuesday's contest as the sixth seed for the postseason. They made the cut thanks to owning the tiebreaker over the 3-6 Oneonta Red Dragons. The Golden Eagles dominated Buffalo State in the regular season matchup on their home floor to snag the 3-0 sweep. They cruised through the first and third sets with an identical score of 25-4 and fought for the second set win of 25-16. Brockport benefited from 12 service aces in the match and a solid .395 hitting percentage.
Win or Go Home: With the postseason finally here, it is do or die time for each team. A win allows Brockport to advance to the SUNYAC Semifinals against Geneseo on Friday, but a loss would mean the season is over. The reigning 2019 SUNYAC Champions work to hold on to the trophy this week.
