Devils oust Stevens in regional semifinal
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Women's volleyball 
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Fredonia State pushed nationally ranked Stevens Institute of Technology right out of the NCAA Division III tournament with a 3-2 regional win Friday at Union College.
The Blue Devils (29-9) avenged a lopsided loss to Stevens two weekends ago and handed the Ducks (33-5), ranked No. 25 in the most recent Bison/AVCA poll, their first loss after 24 straight wins.
Senior outside hitter Amy Bertrando (Westfield), lower right, had 17 kills, including four while Fredonia State was building a 9-5 lead in the fifth and deciding set. Sophomore opposite Jenna Tatu (Tonawanda/Kenmore West) had three kills in the final set and 11 in the match, while senior outside hitter Leanne Maloney (West Seneca/Mount Mercy), lower left, collected 10 kills, 26 digs, and three service aces.
The match ended with an attack error by Stevens, which skewered the Blue Devils 25-11, 25-9 and 25-19 at the Vassar Tournament on Oct. 31.
Unfazed by the previous loss, the Blue Devils took an 11-9 lead in the first set before the Ducks rattled off seven straight points. The see-saw swung back the other way with an 8-2 Fredonia State run, which included kills by Maloney and sophomore middle blocker Kaitlin Erdmann (Randolph), upper right, for a 19-19 tie.
Faced with two set points it count not convert, Fredonia State finally broke through the third time. A kill by senior setter Alyssa Torpy (West Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta), upper left, made it 28-27 for the Blue Devils. A service ace by Maloney ended the set.
The Ducks asserted themselves in each of the next two sets and sent the Blue Devils to the brink of elimination by winning the second and third sets. But the tide turned midway through the fourth set.
Down 13-10, the Blue Devils went on a 4-0 run, including a service ace by Maloney. Following a Stevens' time-out, Maloney committed a service error and the score was tied at 14-14. Consecutive kills by freshman middle blocker Chelsea Senn (Hamburg/Frontier) and Bertrando gave the Blue Devils a lead they would not relinquish. Tatu closed out the match with a kill, while Maloney had a kill, and Erdmann one of her team-high five service aces late in the fourth set.
The Blue Devils trailed only once in the fifth set, 2-1, before another 4-0 run swung the momentum their way. Bertrando had one of her kills during the run, and had two more as the Blue Devils upped their advantage to 8-4. Bertrando's fourth kill of the set made it 9-4 and senior libero Val Grell (Lancaster) served the next two Fredonia State points, the result of a Stevens attack error and a kill by Tatu.
Fredonia State closed out the match with one final 4-0 run.
Torpy was again in the middle of the Fredonia State offense with 45 assists. She also had 11 digs. Freshman libero Sarah Zureck (Lancaster/St. Mary's) was credited with 26 digs, while Erdmann had six blocks and Senn added five.
At the end of play Friday, the Blue Devils will be one of 16 teams remaining in the tournament, which began with 61 entrants. They will go for the regional crown 7 p.m. Saturday against New Paltz, which defeated Union, 3-1, in the late semifinal Friday. The Blue Devils and New Paltz have split a pair of meetings earlier this season, the Hawks scoring a 3-0 victory Oct. 31 at the Vassar Tournament and the Blue Devils avenging that loss with a 3-0 win in the SUNYAC championship match Nov. 8 at Dods Hall.
The eight regional winners will play for the national title Nov. 20-22 at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.
(--- Photos by Matt Milless, NCAA)