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Hilbert Box Score
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POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The No. 15 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (12-10, 3-6 UVC) split on the second day of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover on the campus of Vassar College Sunday, winning, 3-1 (21-25, 25-13, 25-15, 25-19), against Hilbert College (1-17, 0-7 UVC) before falling, 3-2 (25-18, 28-26, 20-25, 19-25, 16-14), to No. 11 Medaille College (17-4, 7-1 UVC) in the nightcap.

The Hawks were challenged early against Hilbert, as the opposing Hawks found a way to win the first set, 25-21, despite being outhit by a .129-to-.088 margin. Hilbert was hurt by 11 attack errors in the second frame, and New Paltz hit .400 (15 kills and three attack errors in 30 total attempts) in the third to go up 2-1. New Paltz was able to close it out in the fourth stanza, taking the set by a count of 25-19.

New Paltz used just seven players all match, and freshman setter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y.) and freshman middle blocker Dylan Rabidoux (Rochester, N.Y.) paced the attack, flooring 19 and 11 kills, respectively. Both were efficient on offense, hitting at respective clips of .405 and .435. Freshman setter Misa Garo (Bronx, N.Y.) handed out a match-high 44 assists, while sophomore outside hitter Addison Baxter (Shoreham, N.Y.) kept Hilbert on its toes on the serve receive, collecting a match-high five service aces. Freshman outside hitter Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and junior defensive specialist/libero Michael Dauernheim (Bay Shore, N.Y.) shored up the defense with 12 and 11 digs, respectively, while Smith fortified the front row with six block assists.

Frederick Sickau keyed the Hilbert offense with 16 kills, but his hitting percentage (-.024) suffered as a result of his 17 attack errors. Dan Wolfe assumed the setting duties and dished out 31 assists, while Corey Alston and Rob Moyes helped out the defense with 11 digs and four block assists, respectively.

After finding itself in a 2-0 hole after two sets against Medaille, New Paltz's hitters came to life, resuscitating a somewhat dormant attack. The Hawks won the third set, 25-20, behind the strength of a .324 hitting percentage, and the defense held Medaille in check, as the Mavericks hit .161. The Hawk offense achieved a .481 hitting percentage in the fourth, forcing a deciding set.

New Paltz and Medaille traded points at the start of the fifth, and the Mavericks led 8-7 at the turn. Senior outside hitter Keith MacDonald (Monroe Township, N.J.) leveled the tally at 8-all, but Medaille scored two unanswered to go up 10-8. Up 14-12 with match point on the line, the Mavericks allowed a kill by junior opposite Mike Van Tyne (Rochester, N.Y.) before Medaille's Nick Johnson committed an attack error. Johnson redeemed himself with a kill on the ensuing point to go up 15-14, which forced head coach Radu Petrus to call a timeout. Ryan Maxwell and Bryan Proch snuffed out a MacDonald attack, landing a block assist to end the match.

Junior middle blocker Kevin Stross (Port Washington, N.Y.) overcame five early attack errors and wound up hitting .433 with 18 kills. MacDonald added 18 kills, while senior setter Andrew Cassius (Brooklyn, N.Y.) boasted an unconventional double-double of 69 assists and 13 digs. Stross also chipped in two block solos and three block assists, while MacDonald accounted for three of the team's four service aces.

Erin Kelly paced the Mavericks with 18 kills (.448 hitting percentage) and 10 total blocks. Three other Medaille players reached double-digit kill totals, as Johnson, Trevor Barrett Proch collected 17, 14 and 10 kills, respectively. Maxwell had a double-double with 52 assists and 12 digs, and Brandon Kilijanski also contributed 12 digs.

New Paltz returns to action next weekend at the York College Men's Volleyball Classic, which runs from March 11-12 on the campus of York (N.Y.) College. The Hawks square off with the New York City College of Technology at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11, before a tripleheader on Saturday, March 12.