Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The No. 7 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (11-4, 4-2 UVC) survived a scare from SUNYIT (3-9, 0-6 UVC) on Wednesday night in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) action at the Hawk Center, prevailing by a 3-1 (25-7, 23-25, 25-13, 25-14) final.

All but two New Paltz players saw action on the court, as the Hawks hit .360 for the match. New Paltz had nine service aces for the contest, five of which came from freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), while SUNYIT posted four. The Hawks boasted nine total blocks to the Wildcats' six, and New Paltz collected 35 digs to SUNYIT's 28.

The Hawks cruised through the first set in dominating fashion, topping the Wildcats, 25-7. The second set, however, shifted the tone of the match. With all non-starters in the match, New Paltz struggled, and SUNYIT hopped out to a 14-9 lead. After a Hawk timeout, New Paltz scored seven of the next eight points, and a kill by junior middle blocker Danny Nardiello (Hicksville, N.Y./Hicksville) put the Hawks up by one at 16-15. The two teams traded points, but SUNYIT went on a four-point tear and captured a 22-20 lead.  Senior outside hitter Bryan Weber (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) made it a one-point game, but a Hawk service error pushed the Wildcats' edge to 23-21. New Paltz scored two straight points to tie the tally at 23-all, but a kill by Timothy Maracic and a Hawk attack error gave SUNYIT the set, 25-23.

New Paltz wound up buckling down in the next two stanzas, winning 25-13 in the third and 25-14 in the fourth. The Hawks hit .364 in the third set and .435 in the fourth set.

Freshman outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) paced New Paltz with a match-high 14 kills and an .867 hitting percentage. Smith dished out a match-high 24 assists, while freshman libero/setter Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) had six digs. Nardiello reinforced the front row defensively with four total blocks.

For SUNYIT, Evan Smith contributed a team-high eight kills, and Jeff Knapp handed out 13 assists. Knapp also added five digs and three block assists.

New Paltz returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 26, as it takes on New York University in Manhattan. First serve is set for 7 p.m.