CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team earned its best finish at the University Athletic Association Championship since the 2000 season by claiming fourth place on Saturday, November 6 at Horsburgh Gymnasium. The fifth-seeded Spartans swept eighth-seeded University of Rochester (NY) on day two of the championships before succumbing to a 3-1 loss at the hands of second-seeded New York University.

With its 2-2 performance at the 2010 UAA Championships, Case finishes the season at 24-10 overall and 6-5 in the UAA. The 24 victories matches last season's total, which was the best for the program since a 29-10 campaign in 1997. The season was highlighted by an 11-match win streak and a victory versus No. 1 nationally-ranked Washington University (MO).

"We are excited that we were able to take a step forward," said head coach Karen Farrell. "To finish fourth in a conference that has four nationally-ranked teams is quite an accomplishment. We have created a great foundation heading into next season and hopefully we can continue to grow."

Case started slow versus Rochester, but still won the first set by a score of 25-14. Case then ran away with the remaining sets, winning by scores of 25-8 and 25-19.

Junior middle hitter Tricia McCutchan (Hamilton, OH/Stephen T. Badin) led the offense with an 11-kill performance, while every player on the Spartan roster saw playing time.

Sophomore setter Breana Freeman (Geneva, OH/Geneva) paced the offense with 31 assists, while sophomore libero Rachel Gulasey (Cleveland, OH/Magnificat) and senior outside hitter Beth Karpinski (Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake) each contributed 10 digs to lead the defense.

NYU, the 15th-ranked team in the nation, came into the match following a 3-0 loss at the hands of third-seeded Washington.

The Spartans fell behind early after dropping the first two sets 25-14 and 25-21, but kept their season alive with a clutch 25-23 win in set three. NYU, however, proved to be too much in the fourth set and took the match by a 25-20 decision.

McCutchan once again led the Case attack with 19 kills, while Karpinski totaled 10. Freeman and Gulasey led the defense with 26 and 23 digs, respectively.