Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Despite outblocking D'Youville College (6-6, 2-0 UVC), the No. 15 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (4-4, 1-2 UVC) fell by a 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 26-24) final on the second and final day of a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover Sunday morning on the campus of D'Youville.

New Paltz had 11 team blocks, and junior middle blocker Kevin Stross (Port Washington, N.Y.) was involved with six of them, as he had two block solos and four block assists. The Spartans had just four team blocks. However, D'Youville outhit New Paltz; the Spartans hit .229 (58 kills and 26 errors in 140 total attempts), while the Hawks hit .209 (48-20-134). D'Youville misfired on 12 service attempts, while New Paltz recorded 11 service errors.

After a Hawk timeout in the first set with the score at 23-22 in favor of D'Youville, Freshman setter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y.) landed a kill to level the score at 23-all. Chris Temple put the Spartans up 24-23, and Smith missed the court on the set point to give D'Youville the first frame.

New Paltz went up 2-0 in the second set, but D'Youville scored three straight points to go up 3-2. The Spartans controlled the momentum the rest of the way in the stanza and easily claimed the game.

A kill by junior opposite Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, N.Y.) in the third set tied the game at 16, and two consecutive D'Youville attack errors warranted a Spartan timeout. New Paltz would not trail the remainder of the frame and forced a fourth set.

Both teams vied for the momentum in the fourth set, and a Todd Potter service error for D'Youville late in the frame allowed New Paltz to even the count at 24-all. Brett Peters put the Spartans up 25-24, and a bad set by senior setter Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, N.Y.) wound up giving D'Youville the match point.

Stross enjoyed a solid match, flooring nine kills and misfiring on just two attacks in 18 total attempts to rack up a .389 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Keith MacDonald (Monroe Township, N.J.) had a team-high 14 kills, while Cassius dished out a team-high 36 assists. Junior defensive specialist/libero Frank Ciccone (Long Beach, N.Y.) and Van Tyne helped out defensively with 17 and 11 digs, respectively.

For D'Youville, Jeremy Sajdak was the primary offensive option, recording a match-high 22 kills. Jay Senozetnik handed out a match-high 48 assists, while Sajdak (12), Danny Gittens (11) and Senozetnik (10) all reached double-figure totals in digs.

New Paltz hopes for a reversal of fortunes on Wednesday, Feb. 9, when it hosts Vassar College in a 7 p.m. UVC match at the Hawk Center.