Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. – After leading 2-1, the No. 8 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (9-2, 3-2 UVC) dropped two straight sets, falling to the No. 5 Stevens Institute of Technology (8-3, 5-0 UVC) by a 3-2 (21-25, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11) score on Wednesday night in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action at Canavan Arena.

Stevens hit at a .361 clip for the match and had nine total blocks, while New Paltz posted a .254 hitting percentage and boasted three total blocks. Furthermore, the Hawks committed 21 service errors to the Ducks' 19. Both teams excelled on the serve receive, with New Paltz landing two aces and Stevens flooring one.

Freshman outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequiot), freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and sophomore setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) all reached double-digit kill figures with 15, 14 and 10, respectively. Lutjen posted a double-double by adding 33 assists, while freshman libero/setter Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) collected a match-high 18 digs.

For Stevens, Ryan Seifert ignited the attack with 18 kills, while David Evans added 16. Kevin Aeckerle kept the offense moving with 52 assists, while Chris Vaughan and Aeckerle chipped in 12 and 10 digs, respectively. Etan Bennett reinforced the Ducks' front row on defense with five total blocks.

The first two sets were one-sided in nature, with the Hawks cruising to a 25-21 victory in the first stanza and the Ducks winning by a 25-15 count in the second frame.

Stevens appeared to have the third set sewed up, as it led 19-16 following a New Paltz service error. A Duck attack error coupled with back-to-back kills from Lutjen tied the score at 19-all, and a bad set by Aeckerle gave the Hawks the lead. After the two teams traded points and locked the score at 22-all, New Paltz scored three straight points to take the set. Seifert was charged with two attacking errors with a Smith block solo sandwiched in between.

Neither side led by more than two points in the fourth stanza. The turning point in the set came after a kill by Smith handed the Hawks a one-point edge at 15-14. Stevens wound up rattling off three straight points to take a two-point lead, and it led the remainder of the set to force a deciding frame.

The fifth set was all Stevens, as it scored four of the game's first five points. Smith broke up the run with a kill, but three more points gave the Ducks a 7-2 cushion. Stevens' Jake Modestow misfired on a serve to give New Paltz another point, but a Hawk service error gave the Ducks an 8-3 lead at the turn. New Paltz continued to claw its way back, and with match point on the line, it earned two straight points off Stevens miscues and pulled within three at 14-11. Bennett and Thomas Hannum floored a block assist off a Lutjen swing to score the match point.

New Paltz faces a tough test this weekend at the Juniata Tournament in Huntingdon, Pa. The Hawks take on Penn State Altoona on Friday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. before squaring off with No. 1 Springfield College and No. 6 Juniata College on Saturday, Feb. 16.