FREDONIA, N.Y. – For the 12th year in a row, the Fredonia women's volleyball team will be making a SUNYAC playoff appearance.
 
After finishing second in the conference during the regular season, the Blue Devils have travelled to New Paltz for the SUNYAC Tournament, which starts today and runs through Sunday.

Fredonia's opponent: The winner of Friday's quarterfinal match between defending champ Buffalo State and 19-time champ Cortland. Those two teams play 3 p.m. Friday for the right to meet the Blue Devils 3 p.m. Saturday.

New Paltz is the No. 1 seed and tournament host. The Hawks, like the Blue Devils, earned a first-round bye and await word on their next opponent -- either upstarts Brockport or Oswego. Those two teams play at 6 p.m. today. Brockport is making its fist tournament appearance since 2009. Oswego was in the field in 2012 -- and in 1996 prior to that. 

The six-team field this year is very tight, and anyone could surprise with an upset of a top-seeded team.
 
"We've talked all season," Fredonia head coach Geoff Braun said, "about how deep our conference is and now there are six teams at 0-0 waiting to start anew and compete for the SUNYAC title. That makes it exciting."

The Blue Devils won regular-season pool play matches against Cortland and Buffalo State this year, both by set scores of 3-0.

"Buff State and Cortland are both strong programs," Braun said. "Cortland is a perennial contender and Buff State is defending last year's title, so advancing to the finals is not going to be easy."
 
Fredonia is making its 21st playoff appearance overall. The Blue Devils have one conference title -- in 2008 as the host team. That was the season they advanced into the NCAA Division III round of 16.
 
"It may sound cliché, but when you want something you have to go out and take it," Braun said. "This weekend will be a lot of fun and we are looking forward to the challenge."