Box Score NEW YORK – The No. 3 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team passed yet another test on Tuesday evening, topping No. 14 Baruch College, 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-22), at the ARC Arena in non-conference action.
New Paltz hit at a .327 clip for the match and held a 7-4 edge in blocks. Baruch, meanwhile, was limited to .227 hitting.
New Paltz rises to 22-3 overall and next faces The Sage Colleges on Friday, April 4, at 7 p.m. in Troy, N.Y. Baruch drops to 24-10 overall and next competes in the quarterfinal round of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Tournament on Tuesday, April 8.
In the first set, both teams played close the entire way, but the Hawks closed the stanza on a 3-0 run, and a kill by sophomore outside hitter
Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) gave New Paltz a 25-19 triumph in the first.
Baruch had the upper hand early in the second set, hopping out to a 10-5 advantage. The Bearcats continued to counter every comeback attempt until the Hawks tied the score at 21-all on the strength of a 5-0 run. Baruch scored the next two points to take a 23-21 edge, but New Paltz bounced back with two straight points of its own. After the Bearcats forced set point, the Hawks closed the set on a 3-0 tear, with Ferriter accounting for two of those points. New Paltz won the second, 26-24.
New Paltz withstood strong play early in the third set by Baruch, and its resilience paid off during the stretch run. With the Bearcats up, 19-17, the Hawks seized the lead after scoring on three straight rallies. While Baruch tied the score on the next point, New Paltz went on a 4-0 scoring spree that was capped off by a service ace by freshman middle blocker
Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) to force match point at 24-20. Baruch scored two straight points, but a Bearcat attacking error ultimately gave the Hawks a 25-22 victory in the third.
Senior outside hitter
Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and Ferriter keyed the New Paltz offense with 11 kills apiece, while sophomore setter
Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and junior setter
John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) doled out 18 assists each.
Christian Smith was the team's leading blocker with four block assists.
For Baruch, senior right side Jack McKee's 13 kills led the way, and sophomore setter Scott Standring handed out 26 assists.
