NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Mount Saint Mary College defeated NYU-Poly in straight sets on Sunday afternoon to claim the program's first ever Skyline Conference championship.  The Knights improve to 23-11 overall and will compete in the NCAA Division III Championship this week.

The Knights claimed a narrow opening set, 25-23, and pushed the advantage to two sets to none with a 25-21 victory in set two.  Then, with the crowd chanting the team on to victory, the Knights claimed the title with a 25-18 victory in set number three.

Senior Mary Ann Raftery (Atlantic Beach, N.Y.), who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, led the Knights with 12 kills and completed her double-double with 19 digs.  Fellow senior Lauren Halverson (Patchogue, N.Y.) racked up 30 assists and 15 digs to go along with five kills.  Sophomore Katie Lynch (Island Park, N.Y.) and freshman Kayla Kurka (Islip, N.Y.) added six kills each, while freshman Jen Gries (Hicksville, N.Y.) posted a team-high 24 digs.

For NYU-Poly, senior Corey Loupee (Crown Point, Ind.) led the team with 11 kills and 17 digs.  Freshman Alyssa Niquette (Lake Havasu City, Ariz.) totaled 26 assists.

The Knights will learn of their opponent and destination in the NCAA Tournament during Monday morning's selection show.  You may watch the selection show live at 11:00 a.m. on Monday by clicking here.