NEWBURGH, N.Y. – For the second straight year, the Mount Saint Mary College women's volleyball team came up just short in the Skyline Conference tournament, falling to NYU-Poly in five sets (25-23, 17-25, 22-25, 25-13, 15-10).  The Fighting Blue Jays (23-14) advanced to the NCAA Tournament, while the Knights (20-10) will await a potential selection to the ECAC Metro Region Tournament.

The Knights dropped a close opening set, but responded with wins in sets two and three.  Then, with the Mount trailing in set number four, Mount freshman Taylor Woegens (Bogota, N.J.) went down with a knee injury.  The Woegens injury appear to drain some of the energy from the Knights and NYU-Poly claimed the fourth set, 25-13.  In the deciding fifth set, the Fighting Blue Jays jumped out to a 4-0 advantage.  The Knights rallied to make it 8-9, but NYU-Poly escaped again with three straight points.  Leading 14-10, the Fighting Blue Jays earned a side-out to claim the final set and the match.

Mount junior Mary Ann Raftery (Long Beach, N.Y.) led the Knights with a match-high 15 kills.  Woegens recorded 13 kills and 16 digs, while senior Teresa Sorrentino (Bellerose, N.Y.) added 12 kills and 13 digs.  Junior Lauren Halverson (Patchogue, N.Y.) racked up 39 assists and a team-high 19 digs.

For NYU-Poly, senior Victoria Kalvert (Missouri City, Texas) led the way with 14 kills and 28 digs.  Senior Alexis Walker (Rochester, N.Y.) added 10 kills with seven blocks.  Walker was named the tournament's most valuable player.

The Knights were tested in the semifinals, winning three tight sets over Farmingdale State College, all by a score of 25-23.  The Mount trailed 22-20 late in the opening set, but won five of the next six points to snag a crucial opener.  A four-point run on Sorrentino's serve allowed the Knights to take control of the second set, 20-17, and then they held on for the two-point win.  Not willing to quit, Farmingdale jumped out to a 13-9 lead in the third, but the Knights gradually crawled back into the set and eventually sealed the deal with a side-out while leading 24-23.

Woegens led three Knights in double-digits for kills with 12 and also added 16 digs.  Sorrentino and Raftery each added 11 kills.  Halverson dished out 27 assists to break the school record for assists in a season.

NYU-Poly swept second-seeded St. Joseph's College in the other semifinal.