Box Score
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BUFFALO – A .329 hitting percentage helped the No. 9 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (8-0, 2-0 UVC) cruise to a 3-0 (32-30, 25-17, 25-23) victory over No. 11 Elmira College (5-3, 1-1 UVC) Saturday afternoon in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover action at Medaille College.

Elmira had 40 kills to the Hawks' 35, but the Soaring Eagles tallied 23 attacking errors to fashion a .191 hitting percentage. Defensively, New Paltz had 20 digs to Elmira's 18, while the Hawks posted 12 total blocks to the Soaring Eagles' five.

New Paltz hit .231 in the first set compared to Elmira's .108 clip, due largely to the fact that the Soaring Eagles landed 13 attacking errors. The stanza went long, with Elmira holding off New Paltz's attempts at closing the set. The Hawks, however, wound up winning, 32-30, which dictated the momentum for the rest of the match. In the second set, the Hawks recorded a .667 hitting percentage and sided Elmira out 83 percent of the time, as they cruised to a 25-17 victory in the frame. The two teams played evenly in the third set, but New Paltz had the upper hand in the end, winning, 25-23, in the third.

Sophomore setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) paced the attack with eight kills, while freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) chipped in 26 assists. Lutjen also came up with a match-high-tying five digs, while junior middle blocker/right side Brian O'Connor (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) reinforced the front row defensively with seven total blocks.

For Elmira, Erik Griffin led the way with 10 kills, while Michael Vellutato handed out 37 assists. Mike Ellison collected five digs, while Dylan Kuhn had three block assists.

New Paltz continues play at the UVC Crossover tomorrow, taking on No. 14 Medaille at 9 a.m. before squaring off with D'Youville College at 3 p.m.