Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NASHUA, N.H. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (3-0) won twice on the opening day of the Live Free or Die Invitational on Saturday at Daniel Webster College, as the Hawks beat host Daniel Webster, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-14), before downing the No. 9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 3-2 (25-23, 25-19, 18-25, 17-25, 16-14).

The Hawks hit .516 as a team against Daniel Webster, powering to a straight-set victory. Freshman outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) led New Paltz with a match-high-tying seven kills, while freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) dished out a team-high 13 assists. Smith had three total blocks, and junior middle blocker Dylan Rabidoux (Rochester, N.Y./Spencerport) wound up serving up four aces coming off the bench.

For Daniel Webster, Joe Walz led the way offensively with seven kills. Ariel Frias distributed 17 assists, while Darrien Mason came up with two total blocks.

Junior libero Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) helped the Hawks defensively in the second match of the day against MIT, as his 15 digs served as a large part of the team's total of 42. MIT's back row saw slightly more work with 52 digs, and each team had eight total blocks. The Engineers hit .104 as a team, while the Hawks hit at just a .087 clip. Neither side served particularly well, with New Paltz serving two aces and 24 errors and with MIT serving six aces and 25 errors. This back-and-forth match saw 21 tie scores and eight lead changes.

Freshman middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) floored a team-high 11 kills, while sophomore setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) dished out a team-high 16 assists. Husmann helped the front row defensively, too, as he had four total blocks.

For MIT, Ken Siebert had a match-high 17 kills, while Paul Syta handed out a match-high 43 assists. Matt Hohenberger contributed four aces to lead the Engineers off the serve. Defensively, Brendan Chang collected 15 digs, while Tavish Smith and Alex Klein tied for the team-high in blocks with three each.

New Paltz continues action at the Live Free or Die Invitational tomorrow at Rivier College, facing No. 7 Rivier at 11 a.m. before squaring off with Endicott College at 1 p.m.