FREDERICK, Md.--The No. 3-seed Hood College volleyball team knocked off the two-time defending champion College of Notre Dame (Md.) Gators, 3-2, Saturday in a thrilling five-set match (21-30, 25-30, 30-27, 34-32, 20-18) to advance to the championship match of the 2006 Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference tournament at Gambrill Gymnasium.

After the exhilarating victory, which spanned nearly two-and-a-half hours, the Blazers took a breather before squaring off against top-seeded Mary Baldwin College in the title match. The Squirrels had swept No. 4-seed Chatham College earlier in the day to advance to the championship.

The Blazers came into its semifinal matchup looking to snap a seven-match losing streak to Notre Dame which dated back to 2004. The Gators had also picked up three victories over the Blazers this season alone.

In game one, Hood may have been riding a little too much adrenaline and dug itself into an early 8-3 hole as a result of some over-aggressive attacks. But following a timeout by head coach Judith Whims-McGraw, the Blazers regrouped and eventually drew to within 13-15 on consecutive errors by Kimberly Myers, which forced the Gators to call timeout. Notre Dame would then reel off the next four consecutive points and did not allow the Blazers to draw closer than four the rest of the way en route to a 30-21 victory.

In game two, the Blazers kept it close throughout but couldn't seem to get over the hump and found itself on the short end of a 2-0 deficit after dropping the second set, 30-25.

Despite falling behind in the early stages, the Blazers found new life in the third set, maintaining the upperhand throughout the frame. Late in the third game, Hood clung to a 28-25 edge when the Gators clawed their way back into it on kills by Myers and Lara Tomaszewski to make it 28-27. But a kill by Ashley Bryan and a tip by Lindsey Nagy sealed the victory for the Blazers who cut the deficit in half at two games to one.

Game four was a marathon affair which saw 11 ties and four lead changes. Notre Dame appeared to be in control for the majority of the set but the Blazers wouldnýt go away without a fight. With the score knotted at 25-25, the Gators used a kill and two Blazer miscues to assume a 28-25 edge. The Blazers answered the call and took advantage of a kill from Bryan and a Gator hitting error to draw to within 28-27. But Tomaszewski gave the Gators match-point with one of her match-high 21 kills.

Hood denied the Gators not one, but three match-points over the next several exchanges and finally put the game away on a pair of kills by Nagy.

The intensity inside Gambrill Gymnasium rose to a crescendo as the Gators and Blazers engaged in a decisive fifth set. The Blazers entered the tournament 1-1 in five-game matches while the Gators owned a record of 3-1. This tightly-contested set also featured 11 ties and once again it was the Blazers who turned away three Gator match-points.

Owning a 13-12 edge, the Blazers called a timeout to set up the offense. But a Hood hitting error on the ensuing exchange gave match-point to Notre Dame. The Gators committed a hitting error of their own to tie the score at 14-14, and this time Dame called the timeout. Hood served the next ball out of bounds to give the side out to the Gators. But Bryan stepped up for the Blazers and registered one of her 13 kills in the match on a ball that just grazed the endline to tie the set at 15-15.

Hood had its first match-point after Dame was whistled for a blocking error, but the Blazersý next serve sailed wide and the score was once again deadlocked at 16-16. Myers put down another kill to give the Gators their third match-point of the contest, but Nagy had other ideas as she smacked down a kill to make it 17-17. The two teams exchanged points once again until Hood regained a 19-18 edge on a Gator serving error. Nagy clinched the match and a spot in the championship with an ace and the Hood bench erupted in jubilation.

Four Blazers had double-doubles, including Nagy (18 kills, 16 digs), Bryan (13 kills, 15 assists), Caroline Woodhams (26 assists, 11 digs) and Leah Garland (12 assists, 14 digs). Jamie Bussey recorded a stellar defensive effort, registered a match-high 29 digs, while Starr McDavid chipped in with five kills and five digs to go along with three aces. Hilary Cook had a solid all-around match with five kills, six digs and four blocks while Ashley Burns finished with six blocks and seven digs.

The Blazers then took on Mary Baldwin in the championship, a team that had lost just a single game in its entire AWCC run this year, that coming at the hands of the Blazers in a 3-1 decision in Staunton; all seven of Baldwin's other conference victories came via the sweep. Unfortunately for the Blazers, Saturday's championship match would be no different as the Squirrels captured the team title in straight games, 30-14, 30-21, 30-22.

Nagy recorded six kills and 12 digs for the Blazers while Bryan finished with five kills and six blocks.

The Blazers end the 2006 campaign with a record of 6-14 and a runner-up finish in the AWCC tournament. Hood loses just one player to graduation in senior Starr McDavid.