Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Few teams receive the opportunity to play the top two teams in NCAA Division III twice in one day. A small percentage of those squads—those with an abundance of talent—will be able to knock off both. An even smaller percentage of that figure would be able to upend the pair in straight sets.
 
The No. 3 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team checked off all three of those items on Friday night on day one of the Springfield Invitational, downing No. 1 Rivier University, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-18), before sweeping second-ranked and host Springfield College, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-23), in the nightcap.
 
It marks the Hawks' first-ever wins over the top two teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III Men's Top-15 Coaches Poll in the same day. The AVCA has produced a weekly national poll for Division III since the 1996 campaign.
 
Furthermore, New Paltz was able to avenge last week's 3-1 loss against Springfield, which came in its 2014 home opener. New Paltz and Springfield, who stake claim to being two of the oldest varsity collegiate men's volleyball programs in the United States, had met 41 times prior to Friday night's match, and the Pride won in 40 of those meetings.
 
The Hawks had other plans on Friday evening in front an electric Springfield crowd that had approximately 500 people in attendance, downing the two-time defending national champion Pride on their home floor. Springfield had not lost a home match to an NCAA Division III team since March 27, 2011, and it had not suffered a straight-set loss at home to a Division III program since March 24, 2006.
 
"Winning those two matches, it feels like all the hard work is paying off," senior co-captain and outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) said following the two wins. "Winning together as a team, grinding things out and going through the bad times and good times, it feels great."
 
After a Feb. 6 loss to Springfield at the Hawk Center, Brian Smith asserted that New Paltz had a better idea of what to expect this time around from the Pride.
 
"I think we served them tougher," Brian Smith said. "We were more prepared for them, and we played to our strengths. Playing tough and capitalizing on free balls was the difference in the match."
 
New Paltz rises to 13-1 overall, while Rivier and Springfield drop to 5-1 and 10-5, respectively. The Hawks are in the driver's seat to win the invitational title in addition to being the top-ranked team in the AVCA poll next week, but first, they have to contest Johnson & Wales University and Bard College at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, tomorrow. Rivier closes out its slate at the event tomorrow against Bard (10:30 a.m.) and Springfield (12:30 p.m.). Springfield faces Rivier and Johnson & Wales at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively, tomorrow.

No. 3 New Paltz 3, No. 1 Rivier 0
 
Rivier was unable to get much going offensively against New Paltz, posting just a .056 hitting percentage with just 22 kills throughout the three sets of play. The Hawks, meanwhile, used a .417 hitting percentage in the third set to finish with a .301 mark for the match. The two teams each had seven blocks, and they were comparable at the serving line.
 
The Hawks swung the momentum in their favor in the first set, going on a 6-0 tear to claim a 13-9 lead. Though the Raiders did ultimately make it a one-point match at 14-13, New Paltz kept siding out Rivier in the first, and a kill by sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) gave the Hawks the first-set triumph.
 
Another key run early in the second stanza gave New Paltz an edge it would not relinquish. Brian Smith slammed down a pair of kills to cap off a 4-0 Hawk surge that put them up by two (8-6), and New Paltz pulled away midway through the frame thanks to a 5-0 run on the strength of two kills by freshman middle blocker Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa), a kill and a service ace by junior setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and a block solo by sophomore setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa). That provided the Hawks with a 20-14 cushion, and they continued to pump up their sideout percentage down the stretch en route to a 25-18 victory in the second.
 
New Paltz simply overpowered the Raiders on offense in the third, and the Hawks went on a 4-1 spurt to claim a 14-8 advantage. A 5-0 tear that occurred just a few points later put the set out of reach, and Lutjen completed that rally with a block solo that extended the New Paltz lead to 20-11. Rivier drew within five at 21-16, though, but two unforced Raider errors handed the Hawks the momentum once more. Christian Smith offered a kill in two of the match's final three points, and New Paltz topped Rivier with a 25-18 win in the third.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) keyed the attack with 10 kills and a .316 hitting percentage, while Christian Smith and Lutjen dished out 20 and 12 assists, respectively. Sophomore setter/defensive specialist Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) defended seven digs, while Woessner and Lutjen each finished with three total blocks.
 
For Rivier, junior outside hitter Chris Markuson ignited the offense with eight kills, while freshman setter Tyler Blank doled out 20 assists. Senior libero Matt Bynon collected eight digs to pace the back row defensively.
 

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No. 3 New Paltz 3, No. 2 Springfield 0
 
New Paltz managed to hit well above its season average (.370) against Springfield, and that included a .667 clip for the Hawks in the first set. The Hawks excelled off the serve, too, achieving four aces while committing just 14 service errors.
 
The Hawks were able to rattle off four straight points early in the first set to pick up a 13-9 lead, but the Pride battled back, making it a two-point score three times, the last of which came off a kill by senior middle blocker Jimmy O'Leary that put the tally at 22-20. After Woessner sided out the Pride with a termination, junior outside hitter Angel Perez landed back-to-back kills to bring Springfield within one. Ferriter sided the Pride out to bring up set point, but sophomore libero Matthew Peretto forced a Hawk timeout on the next rally with a kill. Ferriter was the go-to option for New Paltz on the next point, with Brian Smith receiving the serve and Lutjen setting up a Ferriter kill. That gave the Hawks a 25-23 triumph in the first.
 
Set two began with a strong Hawk surge, as Ferriter landed three kills in a row before the Pride misfired on two attack attempts to give New Paltz a 6-3 edge. Following a Springfield timeout, Christian Smith offered up an ace to complete the run. As was the case in the first set, Springfield came back, and it reclaimed the lead after back-to-back kills from Peretto and freshman middle blocker Sean Peterson pushed the tally to 22-21 in favor of the home team. New Paltz closed the set on a 4-0 tear, though, and a block assist by Husmann and Ferriter put the Hawks up 2-0 in sets won.
 
New Paltz appeared poised to close the match with an exclamation point in the third, with a Husmann service ace giving the Hawks a 17-11 advantage. Springfield's 5-0 run put the Pride back in it, though, and an O'Leary block solo wound up tying the score at 19-all. New Paltz scored four of the next five points to forge a 23-20 edge, but once again, the Pride pulled closer, scoring three of the next four points. After senior outside hitter Ryan Malone staved off match point to pull the Pride within one (24-23), New Paltz called a timeout. Any strategy discussed in that timeout went untested, as Springfield committed a service error to end the contest.
 
Ferriter stepped up his game once more when it mattered most, hitting .500 with 17 kills and just four errors in 26 total attempts. Lutjen and Christian Smith provided 20 and 19 assists, respectively, while Husmann and Ferriter finished with three blocks each.
 
For Springfield, Peretto and Perez paced the attack with nine kills apiece, while junior setter Keaton Pieper distributed 35 assists. Senior libero Nick Ferry reinforced the back row defensively with eight digs.