Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

UNION, N.J. – The No. 4 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team remained undefeated in a tri-match Saturday afternoon at Kean University, topping the host and 14th-ranked Cougars, 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 19-25, 25-23), before downing Lancaster Bible College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-18).

New Paltz gritted out a 3-1 win over Kean, and its .252 hitting percentage overcame 23 service errors. Kean, meanwhile, was limited to .173 hitting, but the Cougars made up for it with 10.5 total team blocks. The Hawks rested a number of their starters during their match against Lancaster Bible, and a .259 hitting percentage versus the Chargers' .092 mark helped vault New Paltz to the straight-set win.

The Hawks move to 7-0 overall and will put their undefeated record on the line on Wednesday, Feb. 5, as they take on top-ranked Springfield College at 6 p.m. in their 2014 home opener. Kean falls to 2-4 overall and next meets up with New York University in Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m., while Lancaster Bible drops to 0-5 and visits Eastern Mennonite University on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m.

Kean challenged New Paltz in the first set, leading by as many as three (16-13), but a 4-0 spurt by the Hawks gave the visitors the lead. The teams went point for point down the stretch, with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) pushing the score to 23-21 in favor of the Hawks. After a Kean timeout, the Cougars scored a point off a Hawk service error, but senior outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) brought up set point with a termination on the next rally. Junior outside hitter John Cunningham made it a 24-23 tally with a kill to prompt a New Paltz timeout, while the Cougars handed the Hawks the set with a service error on the next point.

New Paltz led by as many as four points in the second, but Kean went on a three-point tear late to pull within one at 21-20. After a setting error by Kean put the Hawks on top, 23-21, Kean called a timeout, and following the break, the two teams traded attacking errors to bring up set point in favor of New Paltz at 24-22. Junior right side Ed Jedziniak floored a kill to draw the Cougars within one, but Kean was undone once again by a set-ending unforced error, giving the Hawks another 25-23 set win.

The Hawks appeared ready to sweep the match, with Brian Smith capping a 3-0 run with a kill to give New Paltz a 15-11 edge in the third. A 6-0 Kean surge, however, put the Cougars in the driver's seat, and the home team did not let up en route to winning the third, 25-19.

Once again, the Hawks looked poised to win, as junior setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) scored two points late off of kills to give New Paltz a 22-18 lead. Kean's blocking efforts paid dividends in clawing back, with a block assist by junior middle blocker Kyle Farley and junior setter Ron Dunn drawing the Cougars within one at 22-21. Both sides traded points until Ferriter brought up match point with a kill. Down 24-22, Kean called a timeout, and the Cougars got the serve back after a Hawk service error. Sophomore setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) slammed down the match-ending kill on the next point, receiving a set from a fellow setter, Lutjen.

Ferriter and sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) led the way with 15 and 13 kills, respectively, while Christian Smith doled out 44 assists. Husmann and Ferriter helped out on defense, too, with eight and seven digs, respectively, while senior libero Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) came up with a match-high nine digs.

Kean received a team-high 10 kills from junior outside hitter Bez Arslani, and Dunn provided 38 assists. Farley collected a match-high seven total blocks, while senior libero Michael Fox defended eight digs.

After an uneventful first set, Lancaster Bible came out strong in the second, with freshman middle blocker/defensive specialist T.J. Forsythe giving the Chargers their largest lead of the match (four) at 10-6. Three straight Hawk points tilted the momentum back in New Paltz's favor, and a 4-0 spurt pushed the Hawks ahead, 14-12. New Paltz held a lead until a 4-0 Lancaster Bible run tied the score at 20-all. Both teams scored two straight points, and after the score got knotted up at 22-all, the Hawks closed the set on a 3-0 tear. A Lutjen solo block capped the run.

The third stanza went similarly to the first, as New Paltz never trailed in a 25-18 set triumph.

Sophomore setter/defensive specialist Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) ignited a balanced Hawk attack with eight kills, and he added a team-high 16 assists. Freshman defensive specialist Steve Gassert (Bellmore, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) picked up a team-high four digs to lead the defense.

Senior outside hitter Mitch Demko keyed the Chargers' offense with 12 kills, while junior setter Tyler Eckels handed out 20 assists. Defensively, senior outside hitter Alex Bahn and junior middle blocker Nathan Diehl posted five digs and two blocks, respectively.