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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The No. 7 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team (16-5, 7-3 UVC) nearly topped the No. 1 team in NCAA Division III Saturday on the first day of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover No. 2 at the Hawk Center, as the Hawks split their two league matches. They fell, 3-2 (25-17, 25-22, 21-25, 26-28, 15-11), to No. 1 Nazareth College (20-0, 8-0 UVC) in their first match of the day before beating Penn State Behrend (8-10, 1-7 UVC), 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 27-24), in their nightcap.

Against Nazareth, the Hawks built up a 2-0 lead behind a .292 hitting percentage in the first set and a .310 hitting percentage in the second. The Golden Flyers woke up in the third, fourth and fifth sets, though, hitting .333, .341 and .615 in those frames, respectively. Nazareth boasted 16 total team blocks to New Paltz's 10, and the Golden Flyers hit .298 for the match compared to the Hawks' .246 clip.

Freshman middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) ignited the New Paltz offense by flooring 17 kills and hitting .407. Sophomore setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and freshman setter/right side Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) posted similar stat lines, with both posting nine digs and Smith owning 28 assists to Lutjen's 27. Freshman outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) came up with four total blocks, while Ferriter and Smith contributed three service aces apiece.

For Nazareth, Robert Kraft had an outstanding match, hitting .567 off 19 kills and two errors in 30 total attempts. He also came up with five total blocks. Tim Zyburt and Grant Levermore joined Kraft in double-digit kill figures, while E.J. Wells-Spicer dished out a match-high 56 assists. Luke Lawatsch finished the morning with eight total blocks.

The Hawks faced some difficulty putting away Penn State Behrend, with the Lions playing them close in the final two sets. New Paltz hit .315 in that match compared with Penn State Behrend's .247 clip, but the Hawks well outpaced the Lions with kills, posting 59 to the visiting team's 33.

Ferriter, Husmann and junior outside hitter/setter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) paced New Paltz with 13, 12 and 10 kills, respectively, while Lutjen and C. Smith handed out 27 and 20 assists, respectively. C. Smith came up with 12 digs, while Lutjen had two solo blocks.

For Penn State Behrend, Nathan Steele floored 10 kills, while Evan Fullerton distributed 17 assists. Fullerton also provided a team-high nine digs, while Tyler Karl finished with six total blocks.

New Paltz finishes out UVC play tomorrow, as it faces Hilbert College at 3 p.m. at the Hawk Center.