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Box Score

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The No. 15 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team's (20-12) storybook run in the 2011 United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Championships came to an end on Sunday afternoon at Kidera Gymnasium on the campus of Nazareth College, as the host Golden Flyers (25-3) handed the Hawks a 3-2 (30-32, 18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 18-16) setback in the championship match.

On Saturday, the seventh-seeded Hawks edged second-seeded Medaille College in the quarterfinals, 3-2, before advancing to the title match in five sets over the third-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in the semifinals. Pitted against the second-ranked team in NCAA Division III, the Hawks went blow for blow, but they fell just short as Nazareth, the tournament's top seed, captured the first-ever UVC crown.

New Paltz gained momentum after the first set, as the Hawks opened with a 32-30 victory in the first stanza. The Hawks then put the Golden Flyers on the ropes, as they dealt them a 25-18 setback in the second game. Nazareth, however, used a powerful attack in the third frame to take the set, 25-19. The fourth stanza featured a defensive effort on both sides, as New Paltz hit .129 (10 kills and six errors in 31 total attempts), while Nazareth hit .111 (12 kills and eight errors in 36 total attempts). The Golden Flyers closed it out late in the stanza and forced the deciding set by prevailing, 25-23. Both offenses were firing in the fifth, and Nazareth ended the set by scoring consecutive points to knock off the Hawks. The Golden Flyers won the fifth set, 18-16.

On the afternoon, New Paltz outhit Nazareth by a .266-to-.237 margin. The Hawks collected 11.5 total blocks to the Golden Flyers' 11, while Nazareth had eight service aces to New Paltz's seven.

Junior opposite Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, N.Y.) floored a match-high 20 kills to lead New Paltz while boasting a solid .421 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Kevin Stross (Port Washington, N.Y.) and senior outside hitter Keith MacDonald (Monroe Township, N.J.) also fared well on the attack, offering 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Senior setter Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, N.Y.) ended the afternoon with 60 assists and 12 digs, recording a double-double, while MacDonald also finished with a double-double, as he collected a team-high 13 digs to go along with his 12 kills. Reinforcing the front row, Stross registered five total blocks (one block solo, four block assists). Off the serve, senior setter/opposite Jakub Chleboun (Prague, Czech Republic) led the way with four service aces.

Billy Gimello paced the Golden Flyers with 19 kills, while Hans Schroeder (13) and Robert Kraft (11) also had double-digit totals in the statistical category. E.J. Wells-Spicer matched Cassius' assist total with 60, while Dan Mowery kept rallies alive with a match-high 14 digs. Kraft wound up with five total blocks to share the match-high with Stross (one block solo, four block assists).

The Hawks seek entry into the 2011 North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Championships, which will run from Friday, April 1, through Sunday, April 3, at Stevens. Please check back with www.nphawks.com for New Paltz's first-round pairing.