NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team (0-2) stumbled twice in its season-opening tournament on Friday, falling, 3-1 (25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21), to Edgewood College before losing by a 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-7) final to Berry (Ga.) College on day one of the Captains Classic hosted by Christopher Newport University.

The Hawks opened the day against Edgewood, and the Eagles outpaced them in nearly every phase of the game. Edgewood hit .189 to New Paltz's .076 and also held a 7-5 margin in blocks. The Hawks took 170 swings to the Eagles' 143, which contributed to Edgewood's 70-63 advantage in the digs department.

New Paltz lost by a sizeable margin in set one, but it staged a comeback in the second stanza after trailing, 24-20, with set point on the line. After Edgewood misfired on a serve, freshman outside hitter Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) entered the game and registered two straight kills to draw the Hawks within one. A service error, however, gave the Eagles the second set.

The third set saw New Paltz lead most of the way, but Edgewood hung around. A service error by the Hawks pulled the Eagles within one at 22-21, but a pair of kills from junior outside hitter Alex Bizub (Linden, N.J./Cranford) and a service ace by senior libero Carrie Hack (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) gave New Paltz the set win.

The Hawks made a run at Edgewood in set four, as an Eagle attacking error and a kill by sophomore outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) drew New Paltz within one at 22-21. Edgewood, however, responded with two straight kills from Katie Wedvick, and a Hawk attacking error gave the Eagles match point.

Offensively, Borquist and Bizub led the team with 15 and 11 kills, respectively, while Borquist completed the double-double with 10 digs. Hack corralled a match-high 19 digs, while senior setter Marissa King (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) doled out 42 assists.

For Edgewood, Winkler ignited the attack with 12 kills, while Jessica Martin hit an efficient .308 with 10 kills. Winkler (16), Sam Himmelspach (15) and Lindsey Swansby (11) all boasted double-digit dig totals, while Swansby earned the double-double with 35 assists. Wedvick paced the front row on defense with four total blocks.

New Paltz suffered a deflating loss in the nightcap, as the Hawks' offense took 218 swings in the setback, while the defense covered the court well with 106 digs. Berry held a .115-.096 edge in hitting percentage, while the Vikings notched six total blocks to the Hawks' five.

Berry's win in the first set came after back-and-forth play late in the frame. A Hawk attacking error gave Berry a chance of winning the set at 24-23, but Bizub floored a kill to knot the tally at 24-all. Kelsey Lochstampfor and Katie O'Rourke nabbed back-to-back terminations to give the Vikings a 26-24 victory in the set.

New Paltz cruised to a second-set triumph, taking advantage of Berry attacking errors while landing 12 kills. Each team vied for the lead in the third stanza, as there were 11 tie scores and seven lead changes. New Paltz wound up losing the set by a 25-21 final, which was due largely in part to the Vikings' 6-0 run midway through the frame. After close play early on in the fourth set, New Paltz broke open a lead after going on a 5-1 tear, and a kill by junior outside hitter Alli Coleman (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central) handed the Hawks a five-point advantage. The Hawks wound up prevailing in the fourth, 25-21.

With a deciding set needed the settle the match, New Paltz hopped out to a 2-1 lead on the strength of a Borquist kill and a Lochstampfor attacking error. Berry, however, scored four straight points to grab a 5-2 lead, and the Vikings carried the advantage throughout the remainder of the set, winning the frame by a 15-7 score.

Junior outside hitter Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) was the star of the show offensively for the Hawks against Berry, flooring 21 kills and picking up 17 digs for a double-double. Borquist also had a double-double with 10 kills and 20 digs. Hack just missed out on the 30-dig club with 29 in the match, while King had a standard setter's double-double with 50 assists and 24 digs.

For Berry, Emily Stromberg and Kelsey Lochstampfor tallied 16 and 10 kills, respectively, while Stephanie Quinn's 26 digs paced the Vikings' back row. Quinn also had a double-double, as she dished out 43 assists.

New Paltz looks to even its record tomorrow at the Captains Classic, as it faces No. 5 Christopher Newport at 12 p.m. before squaring off with Lynchburg College at 2 p.m.