ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The No. 10 seed Queensborough Community College Tigers (26-6) defeated No. 12 Raritan Valley College (NJ) 3-sets-to-1 (14-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-14) to finish ninth in the nation at the NJCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. 

"It was a really positive tournament, an exciting experience, it was first time we ever won two games at the national. tournament," said Head Coach Jason Demas. "We were tested and saw the best volleyball in the country."

In the Tigers first tournament match on Thursday, No. 10 seed QCC went up against No. 7 seed Harper College (IL) in Rochester. The Tigers kept it close, but were defeated in straight sets, 25-23, 25-23, 25-12. 

Then the following day, QCC played in the consolation bracket, defeating fellow Region XV rival No. 11 FIT for the second time during the school’s National playoff run. In that match, QCC defeated FIT, 3-sets-to-2 (19-25, 25-16, 29-27, 21-25, 18-16) in their fourth head-to-head meeting this season.

During the three matches at Nationals, CUNYAC Championship MVP Paige Hughes collected 28 kills and 24 digs to lead the Tigers. Freshman Amira Durkovic sparked the offense with 79 assists and 27 digs, while fellow first-year player Bianca Brierre added 23 kills in the event.

"This year, the team was led by Hughes and Libero Michelle Sosa," continued Demas. "However the freshmen duo of middle hitter Bianca Brierre and setter Amira Durkovic also were huge in the tournament. They will be a really big part of next years team."