Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MAHWAH, N.J. – The No. 4 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team won Ramapo College's Roadrunner Invitational title on Sunday, beating No. 11 Stevenson University, 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-15), before edging host Ramapo, 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-22). New Paltz finished the weekend 4-0 after beating Brooklyn College and The City College of New York in straight sets on Saturday.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit), junior setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and senior outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) were named to the All-Tournament Team following the conclusion of the event.
 
The Hawks' offense once again fired on all cylinders, but this time, only two additional offensive players beyond the starting lineup saw action on the court. New Paltz started the day by hitting .309 (43-13-97) against Stevenson and concluded it by notching a .386 hitting percentage (47-15-83) against Ramapo.
 
Stevenson finished second in the tournament with a 3-1 record, while Ramapo went 2-2. Brooklyn posted a 1-3 mark for the weekend, while CCNY went 0-4.
 
New Paltz rises to 4-0 overall and opens up United Volleyball Conference (UVC) play on Wednesday, Jan. 29, against Vassar College at 7 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Stevenson drops to 4-1 overall and next hosts Penn State-Altoona on Saturday, Feb. 1, while Ramapo falls to 2-2 overall and faces Elms College and Vassar in a tri-match on Saturday, Feb. 1.
 
Stevenson had the upper hand early in the first set, scoring three of the first four points of the contest and taking an 8-5 lead after a kill from senior right side Jon Martin. New Paltz found its rhythm after that, scoring three straight points, and a Mustang attacking error drew the Hawks even at 8-all. A service error gave Stevenson the lead and the serve back, but New Paltz wound up siding out the Mustangs and gaining a kill from sophomore setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) to regain the advantage. Stevenson tied the score on the next point, and that would be the last tie of the first set, as New Paltz pulled away.
 
The very early stages of the second set mirrored the first, with Stevenson jumping out to a 3-1 lead. New Paltz mounted a quicker rally this time around, scoring six of the next seven points to seize a 7-4 cushion. After New Paltz pushed its edge to 13-9, Stevenson tied the score with four straight points, the last of which came from Martin. The Mustangs hung with the Hawks for a few more points before New Paltz took a 19-18 lead and scored six straight to notch the set win.
 
Set three was the most lopsided of them all, with New Paltz blasting out to an 8-1 lead. Of New Paltz's first eight points of the set, four came off the swing of Ferriter. Stevenson was unable to score more than two points consecutively in the frame, as the Hawks cruised in the third to take the victory over a nationally-ranked opponent.
 
Ferriter led the Hawks with 16 kills and a .444 hitting percentage, while C. Smith and Lutjen dished out 20 and 18 assists, respectively. B. Smith led the back-row defense with 10 digs, while Lutjen tallied two block assists. The Mustangs were unable to solve freshman middle blocker Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) off the serve, as he finished with five service aces.
 
For Stevenson, Martin's eight kills led the way, and junior setter David Moler handed out 18 assists. Senior libero Adam Thatcher posted 10 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Kyle Pottieger recorded four total blocks.
 
New Paltz's toughest match of the tournament came against the host Roadrunners, as Ramapo challenged the nationally-ranked Hawks in all phases of the match. Ramapo finished with a .321 hitting percentage, and it defended the serve perfectly, fashioning a 1.000 team reception percentage.
 
The Hawks looked to be in trouble early, as Ramapo turned a 7-5 advantage into an 11-5 score with four straight points, the last of which came off a kill by senior opposite/middle blocker Chris Sidnam. From that point forward, though, New Paltz started mounting a comeback, and a termination by C. Smith tied the score at 16-all, forcing a Ramapo timeout. The Hawks continued to pile on the offense after the timeout, as a Roadrunner setting error led to two straight kills by Ferriter, and New Paltz constructed a comfortable 19-16 cushion. Ramapo made a charge late, scoring two straight points to draw within two (23-21), but New Paltz closed out the set with a Lutjen kill and a Ramapo attacking error.
 
Both sides battled early in the second stanza until New Paltz gained a 15-10 lead. The Hawks, who led the rest of the way, were never able to shake the Roadrunners. Ramapo made a charge late and pulled within two (24-22) with set point on the line. An unforced attacking error, though, doomed Ramapo on the second set point, as New Paltz took the second, 25-22.
 
The third set unfolded with the Hawks scoring five points early to take an 8-4 lead, but from that point forward, neither team was able to score more than two points consecutively, with each side keeping the ball alive on the serve receive. Ramapo held off match point due to a Hawk service error, which drew the Roadrunners within two (24-22), but B. Smith ripped an unassisted kill off a free ball to hand New Paltz the match victory.
 
New Paltz's attack once again was ignited by Ferriter, who provided 14 kills and a .524 hitting percentage in addition to three block assists. Senior libero Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) corralled a match-high 11 digs, while C. Smith and Lutjen distributed 23 and 21 assists, respectively. Sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and C. Smith helped out Ferriter on the front row defensively, as the pair also had three block assists.
 
Ramapo's freshman opposite/middle blocker Ahjon Petty wound up being the match's kill leader with 17, while senior setter Andrew Balint provided 27 assists. Freshman libero Kurt MacDonald finished with a team-high seven digs.