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ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Second-seeded Nazareth knocked off top-seeded Elmira 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 27-25, 25-21) in the Empire 8 women's volleyball championship, hosted by Elmira. With the victory in the title match, the Golden Flyers earn an automatic bid into the upcoming NCAA Championship Tournament. Freshman Maria Allocco was named Tournament MVP. Junior Aubrey Cooke and freshman Chelsea Beecher also represented Nazareth on the all-tournament team.

In the title match against the Soaring Eagles, Allocco recorded a hitting percentage of .533 as she amassed 18 kills on 30 attempts, with only two hitting errors. Allocco also frustrated Elmira with five blocks. Beecher finished with a hitting percentage of .300. Beecher tallied 16 kills on 40 attempts, with just four errors. Junior Amy Johnson contributed to the Golden Flyers' attack with 10 kills.

Cooke accumulated 47 assists to set up most of Nazareth's attack opportunities. Junior Brittany Crocetti finished with a team-high 23 digs. In addition to their kills, Cooke and Johnson also defended well against Elmira's attacks as they finished with 15 kills apiece.

The Golden Flyers claimed the first set with an eight-point victory. After Elmira answered with its own 25-23 victory, Nazareth outlasted the Soaring Eagles 27-25 in the pivotal third set. With the momentum from the third set, the Golden Flyers secured the championship with a four-point victory in the fourth set.

The Golden Flyers will go into the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 26-12. The Empire 8 title is Nazareth's first since 2006. The Golden Flyers will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since receiving an at-large bid in 2007. Nazareth reached the title match after defeating third-seeded Stevens in three sets in Saturday's semifinals. The Golden Flyers go into the NCAA Tournament winners in 14 of their last 17 matches.

The Soaring Eagles came into Sunday's title match with a four-match winning streak after outlasting fourth-seeded St. John Fisher in five sets on Saturday. The Soaring Eagles drop to 25-8 overall following the loss.

Nazareth's victory over Elmira avenges a three-set loss that the Golden Flyers suffered against the Soaring Eagles, September 24th, during the regular season. After downing the Golden Flyers 25-20 in the first set, Elmira cruised to 25-13 and 25-12 victories in the second and third sets, respectively.