(boxscore)

12/2/04 -- Long Island put up a gallant fight in its first NCAA Tournament match before suffering a 3-0 loss (30-19, 30-12, 30-27) to fourth-ranked Minnesota in New Haven, Conn.

Entering the match with the most victories in the nation, LIU (32-7) looked to force a fourth game by hanging tough late against the Big 10 Conference power. Junior Lizelle Jackson (Palmdale, Calif.) posted five kills and six digs in game three with senior Ivana Vasiljevic (Brcko, Bosnia & Herzegovina) dishing eight assists.

Jackson had three kills during a 6-1 run that moved the Northeast Conference champions down only 23-22. But the Golden Gophers (29-4) ended the match on a 7-5 run in which Erin Martin recorded two kills.

Jackson closed with nine kills and 12 digs with sophomore Dana Demayo (Ra’anana, Israel) adding 10 digs for the Blackbirds. Vasiljevic ended with 22 assists.

The match marked the end of an outstanding career for senior Cristina Pintilie (Cluj Napoca, Romania), who totaled six digs tonight. The three-time all-conference pick and 2003 NEC Player of the Year leaves as the school’s all-time leader with 2,037 kills, 170 aces and 213 blocks.

Martin had 12 kills with Paul Gentil adding 25 digs for Minnesota. Kelly Bowman dished 22 assists and Lindsey Taatjes added 19.

This closed a monumental season for the Blackbirds in which they set the school record for most victories and notched a team-high 11-match winning streak that was snapped tonight. The team was regionally ranked – 15th in the Mideast Region – for the first time and captured the first conference title in the squad’s 12-year history.