Box Score

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The No. 3 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team used mostly reserves in a 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-19) United Volleyball Conference (UVC) victory over Bard College on Wednesday night at the Stevenson Athletic Center, but it was sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), a regular starter, who stole the show, posting a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs.
 
New Paltz hit .357 for the match, including a .464 mark in the third set. The Hawks dominated in nearly every phase of the contest, outgaining the Raptors in service aces (8-1) and total blocks (9-5). Bard was also limited to .038 hitting for the match.
 
The Hawks rise to 11-1 overall and 5-0 in the UVC, and they next compete from Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15, at the Springfield Invitational, where they take on top-ranked Rivier University, No. 2 Springfield College, Johnson & Wales University and Bard. The Raptors drop to 3-7 overall and 1-4 in the UVC, and they also compete at the Springfield Invitational from Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14-15. The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
 
Bard kept New Paltz close early in the first set, but a 7-0 Hawk run put the visitors out in front by a 17-7 score. The Hawks were able to ride that momentum to take a 25-16 victory in the first stanza.
 
The Hawks went on another tear in the second set, extending an 11-8 edge into a 16-8 advantage. Five more consecutive New Paltz points, which included a block and a kill from sophomore setter/defensive specialist Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber), later on the frame gave the Hawks a 23-11 lead, and after a Hawk service error, New Paltz closed the set by scoring points off a block by senior middle blocker Dylan Rabidoux (Rochester, N.Y./Spencerport) and a service ace by junior outside hitter Gus Gregory (Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas).
 
Determined to force a fourth set, Bard once again played New Paltz tight in the third, and a kill by sophomore middle blocker Alex Adams pulled the Raptors within three at 18-15. The Hawks put the set out of reach with a 4-0 spurt, which was capped off by back-to-back Rabidoux service aces. Bard could not put together a run to challenge New Paltz down the stretch, and the Hawks claimed the match victory with a 25-19 triumph in the third.
 
Husmann, the lone regular starter to take the court for New Paltz in the match, hit .579 with 12 kills and just one service error in 19 total attempts, and he completed the double-double with 10 digs. Nardone doled out a match-high 33 assists, while freshman middle blocker Jake Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and Rabidoux achieved three total blocks each.
 
For Bard, sophomore outside hitter Jesse Small notched a team-high six kills, while senior setter Henry Kasiske provided 17 assists. Adams, who was an integral back-row player off the serve with 25 zero receptions, also chipped in on the front row defensively with three total blocks.