Box Score
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (0-1) was unable to capitalize on unforced errors incurred by No. 9 New York University (1-1), as the Hawks fell, 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23), to the Violets on Thursday evening in non-conference action in the Hawk Center. The match marked the season opener for New Paltz.
On the match, NYU committed 22 service errors and 21 attack errors, but New Paltz could not cool off the Violet hitters when they were hot. NYU hit .331 on the match, while New Paltz hit at a .256 clip.
New Paltz was led by junior middle blocker
Kevin Stross (Port Washington, N.Y.), who put up a .370 hitting percentage with 14 kills and four errors in 27 total attempts. Senior middle blocker
Jonathan Van Dyke (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) collected nine kills, while senior outside hitter
Keith MacDonald (Monroe Township, N.J.) and junior opposite
Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, N.Y.) each pitched in eight. Junior defensive specialist/libero
Frank Ciccone (Long Beach, N.Y.) shored up the back row with a match-high 10 digs, while Stross provided the front row's defensive help, posting one block solo and five block assists. Senior setter
Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, N.Y.) handed out 38 assists serving as the team's primary setter.
Three NYU players reached double-figure kill totals. Taylor Fauntleroy had a match-high 19 kills and hit .353 on the contest, while Francis Hodgson and Luke Hamlet floored 16 and 10 kills, respectively. Hodgson was lethal, connecting on 16 kills in 22 total attempts with two errors for a .636 hitting percentage. Connor Mortland and Dylan Ramey each had 10 digs, while Mortland and Ori Oren kept the attack firing on all cylinders with 26 and 25 assists, respectively. Nicholas Capriccio reinforced the front row on defense with four block solos and two block assists
Both teams traded the lead at various points throughout all four sets. However, NYU's mettle in the final points proved to be the difference on the scoreboard.
The first stanza foreboded this trend, as New Paltz appeared in control most of the way despite a number of lead changes. Up 24-23 with set point on the line, the Hawks were unable to close it out, as the Violets rattled off three straight points. Capriccio landed a kill to tie the score, and a MacDonald attack error put the Violets up one. Van Dyke then missed his mark on an attack attempt, which gave NYU the important first-set victory.
New Paltz made up for it in the second set, taking advantage of back-to-back kills from Van Dyke and MacDonald to push a tied score at 22-all into a match-point situation at 24-22 in favor of the blue and orange. A freshman middle blocker/opposite Brian O'Connor (Guilderland, N.Y.) service error sided the Hawks out, but Luke Hamlet's service error on the ensuing point gave New Paltz the set.
With the match score tied at 1-1, the Violets once again took advantage of timely hitting, scoring five of the final seven points in the third frame. Patrick Dodd and George Koch delivered kills for the 24th and 25th points, respectively, and the Violets took a 2-1 lead into the fourth set.
The Hawks were dominant in the early goings of the fourth, and they went up by as many as four. An NYU attack error pushed the margin to four at 17-13, and the Violets regrouped and called a timeout. They slowly chipped away at the lead and the momentum until finally they knotted the tally at 23-all and sealed the victory by winning the final two points. NYU closed the match scoring six of the final seven points.
New Paltz will have ample opportunity to redeem itself this weekend, as it serves as host to the annual Hawks Tournament in the Hawk Center. The Hawks play No. 7 Baruch College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 22, before squaring off with No. 14 Emmanuel College later on in the afternoon at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 23, they face the No. 8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology before finding themselves opposite Elms College at 2 p.m.
