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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The No. 5 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (27-6) fell to the No. 6 Stevens Institute of Technology (25-8), 3-2, (21-25, 25-21, 21-25, 32-30, 15-13) in a hard-fought semifinal match at the 2013 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament on Saturday at Nazareth College's Kidera Gymnasium, snapping its 12-match win streak. Earlier in the day, the Hawks topped No. 12 Medaille College (17-15) in the quarterfinal round by a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-19) final.

New Paltz's postseason fate now rests at the hands of the selection committee for entry into the 2013 NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Tournament. The Hawks' chances for an at-large berth were severely damaged with the loss, as both Nazareth and Stevens, who will meet in the championship match of the UVC Tournament tomorrow at 1 p.m., are ranked above the Hawks as of the most recent NCAA Regional Rankings. There are just three men's volleyball at-large bids in all of NCAA Division III. The entire nine-team field will be announced tomorrow night.

The Hawks were stunned against the Ducks, as New Paltz forced match point six times in the fourth set, only to see Stevens claim the 32-30 set victory.

Holding a 2-1 lead in sets, New Paltz broke free from Stevens midway through the fourth, and an attack error by Stevens' Ian Tyger gave the Hawks a 21-17 advantage. The two teams traded points, and a kill by sophomore setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) brought up the first match point at 24-21. Tyger floored another termination to stave it off, while a Hawk attack error brought the Ducks within one. Etan Bennett was credited with a block solo on the next point, and a kill by David Evans gave Stevens set point. Lutjen and junior outside hitter/setter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) landed back-to-back kills to bring up match point yet again, prompting a Stevens timeout. Bennett squared the score once again with a kill, but another Smith termination gave New Paltz match point again. While Evans landed a kill, a bad set by Stevens put the Hawks back in the driver's seat with a 28-27 advantage.

From that point forward, the scales started tilting toward the Ducks. Stevens forced set point after a Hawk service error and a Thomas Hannum kill, but freshman outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) knotted the tally at 29-all with a termination. Jake Modestow spotted the Ducks set point once more, but Ferriter once again floored a score-tying kill. Stevens scored the next two points, though, and it forced a deciding fifth set.

While the fifth set was evenly played for the first 12 points, Stevens gained two crucial points off a Hawk attack error and an Evans kill to lead, 8-6, heading into the turn. New Paltz continued to battle, with the Hawks going point for point. After a Duck attack error, New Paltz was hurt by three straight Stevens points—all of which came off unforced New Paltz errors. The final attack error, which prompted the Hawks to use their second and final timeout, pushed the score to 13-9 in favor of Stevens. New Paltz rallied back, receiving kills from freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), freshman middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and Ferriter to draw within one. After a Stevens timeout, Ryan Seifert brought up the Ducks' first match point opportunity with a kill. A Duck service error breathed new life into the Hawks' cause, but a Seifert kill gave Stevens the win.

The New Paltz-Stevens semifinal match boasted a high level of offense, as Stevens hit .411 (68-15-129), while New Paltz fashioned a .358 hitting percentage (77-24-148). The Hawks held a 40-38 edge in digs, but the Ducks won the blocking battle, 7-6. New Paltz, which outgained Stevens by a 77-68 edge in kills, was hurt by hitting errors, committing 24 to the Ducks' 15. In spite of the loss, it marked the Hawks' highest kill total of the season.

Four Hawk players reached double-digit kill figures. Ferriter led the way with 18 terminations, while B. Smith contributed 15. Husmann and Lutjen finished with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Lutjen, junior setter Misa Garo (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes) and C. Smith all split time at the setter position. Lutjen dished out a team-high 32 assists, while Garo added 21 and C. Smith chipped in with 14. Lutjen achieved a triple-double for the second time this season, as he also had 10 digs to go along with his 32 assists and 12 kills. Ferriter defended a match-high 13 digs, which completed a double-double.

For Stevens, Tyger and Evans keyed the attack with 25 and 17 kills, respectively. Kevin Aeckerle kept the Duck offense moving with 61 assists, and he rounded out the double-double with 10 digs. Chris Vaughan led Stevens in digs with 12, while Modestow corralled a match-high three block assists.

New Paltz cruised past Medaille in its quarterfinal match, limiting the Mavericks to .118 hitting (32-24-85). While the match featured 30 tie scores and 13 lead changes, Medaille ultimately allowed the Hawks to score points in bunches. The Mavericks even led by as many as three in the third set, but New Paltz rattled off seven straight points late to advance to the semifinal round.

Ferriter was the lone player from either team to reach double-digit kill figures (12), and he hit .526 for the match. Lutjen and Garo distributed 18 and 11 assists, respectively, while Ferriter and junior libero Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) each had seven digs. Husmann helped patrol the net on defense, posting four total blocks.

For Medaille, Trevor Barrett smashed nine kills, while David Riggsby doled out 26 assists. Brandon Kilijanski defended 12 digs, while Barrett landed two service aces.

New Paltz held the tournament's No. 3 seed, while Stevens held the tournament's No. 2 seed. Medaille was seeded sixth in the tournament.

New Paltz's 27 wins are the most for a Hawk men's volleyball team since the 1987 squad went 31-7. Aside from New Paltz's storied run from 1984-87—during which it went 125-9—the 2013 team will go down as one of the winningest teams in program history.