Box Score

GALLOWAY, N.J. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team withstood a valiant comeback by Springfield College in the fifth set of its Richard Stockton Osprey Classic opener on Friday night at Richard Stockton College, topping the Pride by a 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 25-13, 22-25, 16-14) final.
 
New Paltz forced two early Springfield timeouts in the fifth set, staking itself to a 10-6 advantage. With a 12-8 score in favor of the Hawks on the scoreboard, the Pride went on a 4-0 run to tie the score, and two points after New Paltz broke the deadlock, Springfield brought up match point with a kill. Following their second and final timeout, the Hawks knotted the tally at 14-all, and after New Paltz took the lead, sophomore outside hitter Anna Paulik (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) ended the match with a kill.
 
New Paltz rises to 21-4 overall with the win and has now won eight of its past nine matches. The Hawks face a tough task tomorrow, squaring off with host Richard Stockton at 10 a.m. before closing out its weekend with a 12 p.m. encounter with Swarthmore College. Springfield falls to 15-7 and meets up with Richard Stockton (12 p.m.) and Kean University (2 p.m.) tomorrow.
 
After Springfield forced the deciding fifth set, sophomore middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) scored three of the frame's first four points to give New Paltz a 3-1 edge. The Hawks would force the Pride into their first timeout at 7-4 and entered the turn with an 8-5 advantage. What wound up being a difference-maker in the fifth came in the form of a big Hawk block assist following Springfield's second timeout at 10-6, as a long, trying rally for both teams ended up going New Paltz's way.
 
In a match that featured a lot of long rallies, New Paltz finished with a strong .269 hitting percentage while limiting Springfield to a .161 clip. The Pride did, however, finish with an 8-4 edge in total team blocks, but the Hawks were the superior serving team with 12 aces to Springfield's six.
 
Freshman setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) had a performance for the ages pacing the Hawk attack, dishing out a career-high 59 assists in the win. That is tied for the sixth-best total in program history in a five-set match, and it is the seventh-best single-match total in program history regardless of match length.
 
Roessler keyed the Hawk attack with 17 kills and a .400 hitting percentage, while Paulik and junior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) tallied 16 kills apiece. Senior middle hitter Alli Coleman (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton Central) floored 10 terminations to round out the Hawks who posted double-digit kill numbers.
 
Defensively, senior libero Katy Herbst (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) led the way with 24 digs, while Paulik and Borquist notched 16 and 15 digs, respectively. Zwickl and sophomore libero Rachel Pierson (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) each registered 11 digs.
 
For Springfield, junior right side Kelsey McGayhey was the go-to option on the attack with 17 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Senior setter Whitney Miller doled out 34 assists, while sophomore middle blocker Lauren Holt had six total blocks.