Championship Central

KINGS POINT, N.Y. - Freshman setter/right side Julia Hande finished one dig shy of a triple-double Saturday night at Liebertz Gymnasium, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Skyline Conference Women's Volleyball Championship after lifting top-seeded Farmingdale State College to its first-ever title with a 3-0 triumph over second-seeded host U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (25-16, 25-21, 25-17).

With the victory, head coach David Mayerson's Rams (19-7) have secured the Skyline's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship; the field will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 7, at 12:30 p.m.

Hande hit a match-best .389 (17-3-36), while registering 11 assists and nine digs. Senior Christina Hickey added 11.0 points (8 kills, 2 service aces, 2 assisted blocks), while Barbara Wright was in on six total blocks (one solo).

For USMMA (19-9), freshman setter Kyleigh Kappas notched a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs, while Nicole Ibinson put down a team-high eight kills for the Mariners.