FINAL SCORE: #3 Alfred State College 3, #6 University of Cincinnati-Clermont 1

FIRST SET: 25-21 | SECOND SET: 19-25 |THIRD SET: 26-24 |FOURTH SET: 25-20

LOCATION: Dana Hall, SUNY Canton

TOURNAMENT RECORDS:  Alfred State College 3-2, University of Cincinnati-Clermont 2-3

ON THE COURT: In the second quarterfinal matchup of the night at Dana Hall, #3 Alfred State College Pioneers defeated the #6 University of Cincinnati-Clermont Cougars in 4 sets, 3-1 (25-21,19-25,26-24,25-20), to advance to the semifinals of the 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship semifinals.

The Cougars jumped out to a quick 8-4 lead over the third ranked Pioneers to force an early timeout by Alfred State's head coach, Gene Doorley.  The Pioneers continued to battle and keep the score within striking distance until they finally took their first lead over the Cougars at, 20-19.  The Pioneers ended the set on a 4-0 run to secure the first set victory, 25-21, of the match.

University of Cincinnati-Clermont rallied back in the second set to even things up with the Pioneers at one set apiece.  With the score fairly close throughout the entirety of the set, the Cougars widened the margin with a 4-0 run to force a Pioneer timeout.  Following the timeout, the Cougars outscored the Pioneers 6-4 to take a commanding 24-17 lead on their way to the second set victory.

The third set featured a very close score throughout the set with the biggest lead being three on two different occasions by the Cougars.  The Cougars, similar to the first set, led for most of the set, however, the Pioneers would claim their first lead of the set with a score of, 21-20.  The Cougars rallied back to tie the score at 23 forcing a Pioneer timeout. Out of the timeout, the teams traded points to be even at 24.  The Pioneers scored two straight points to secure the third set victory, 26-24.

In the fourth set, the Pioneers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead over the Cougars, who had to call timeout in order to stop the Pioneer momentum.  The Cougars took advantage of the timeout as they went on a 10-3 run to take a 10-8 lead over the Pioneers.  Led by USCAA First Team All-American, Kay Pfleghardt, the Pioneers put together one last run to go ahead 20-15 and earn the fourth set victory and advance to the semifinals. 

QUICK HITTERS:

• Second Team All-American, Lera Braun, led the Pioneers with 37 assists
• First Team All-American, Kay Pfleghardt, led the Pioneers with 15 kills
• Sophomore, Madison Szpaicher, recorded a game-high 22 digs for the Pioneers
• Cincinnati-Clermont were led by freshmen, Ashley Dundes, who recorded 12 kills and 11 digs
• Sophomore, Taylor Herrmann, led the Cougars with 19 digs

PLAYER OF THE MATCH:  Kay Pfleghardt, Alfred State College

NEXT UP:  #3 Alfred State College will face #1 Florida College Saturday at 12:00pm at the Convention, Athletics, Recreation Center (CARC) in the 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship semifinals.  The University of Cincinnati-Clermont ends their season with a record of 17-8 and a 2-3 tournament record.