Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The No. 1 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team knocked off Vassar College and Dominican (Ill.) University in a pair of non-conference matches at the Hawk Center on Sunday, downing Vassar, 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-10, 25-21), before beating Dominican (Ill.), 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18).
 
Dominican (Ill.) beat Vassar, 3-0 (25-18, 25-9, 25-17), in the other contest at the tri-match.
 
New Paltz rises to 17-2 overall and next competes at a United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Crossover hosted by Elmira College from Saturday-Sunday, March 8-9. While there, the Hawks will take on Penn State-Behrend (Saturday at 9 a.m.), Medaille College (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and Hilbert College (Sunday at 3 p.m.). Vassar falls to 4-14 overall and visits Bard College for a UVC match on Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. Dominican (Ill.) moves to 7-7 overall and visits the Stevens Institute of Technology next on Tuesday, March 4, for a 5 p.m. match against New York University and a 7 p.m. match against the host Ducks.
 
No. 1 New Paltz 3, Vassar 1
 
New Paltz dominated the first match of the day statistically, outhitting Vassar, .456-to-.062. The Hawks posted 10 total team blocks to the Brewers' two, and both teams landed six service aces. Even in the second set in which New Paltz lost, 25-21, the Hawks held a .478-to-.292 edge in hitting percentage.
 
A pair of 4-0 runs early in the first set ultimately vaulted the Hawks to a 25-18 win in the frame. The second spurt, which was capped off by a kill by sophomore setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), gave New Paltz a 13-7 lead. While Vassar pulled within two after a New Paltz attacking error at 21-18, the Hawks closed the set on a 4-0 run, and a service ace by freshman middle blocker Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) gave New Paltz the first set.
 
Sloppy play and missed serves marred the second set for the Hawks, as Vassar jumped out to a 10-5 edge and never looked back. New Paltz's best chance at making a run came after a solo block by freshman middle blocker C.J. Borfitz (Inwood, N.Y./Lawrence), a kill by junior setter John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) and a Vassar attacking error pulled the Hawks within two at 17-15, but Vassar responded by scoring two straight points and did not let the home team come within two points the remainder of the set. Vassar won set two, 25-21.
 
New Paltz inserted sophomore outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit), who sat out during the second set, back into the lineup in the third, and the move paid dividends. With Vassar holding a 6-2 lead, Ferriter floored a kill to give New Paltz the serve back, and with Ferriter at the serving line, the Hawks went on a 9-0 run from which Vassar could not recover. A 4-0 scoring spree to close the set gave New Paltz a 25-10 win in the third.
 
Strong play by the Hawks early in the fourth was enough to give them a 25-21 triumph in the final set of the match. New Paltz opened up a 13-8 lead early, and Vassar was unable to score more than two consecutive points down the stretch.
 
Ferriter and Lutjen paced the Hawk attack with 10 kills each, and Ferriter hit at a .533 clip. Christian Smith and Lutjen doled out 29 and 22 assists, respectively, while Ferriter and Borfitz shored up the defense with seven digs and six total blocks, respectively.
 
For Vassar, sophomore right side Reno Kriz posted a match-high 14 kills, while freshman libero Colin Peros provided 22 assists. Freshman libero Trey Cimorelli defended seven digs to lead the Brewer defense.
 
No. 1 New Paltz 3, Dominican (Ill.) 0
 
Primed for an offensive slugfest after Dominican (Ill.) displayed a powerful attack in its match against Vassar, New Paltz overcame a strong Star front row with a .318 hitting percentage. Dominican (Ill.), meanwhile, hit .173, and it held a 10-9 edge in total team blocks. The Hawks posted nine service aces to the Stars' two, and five of New Paltz's aces came off team reception errors (three hit the net, and two came off rotation errors).
 
New Paltz posted a pair of 3-0 runs early to hop out to an 11-6 lead in the first set, and the Hawks continued to stave off Dominican (Ill.) until the Stars called a timeout after Woessner floored an ace to push the score to 21-15. That Dominican (Ill.) timeout worked, as the Stars scored six straight points, the last of which tied the tally at 21-all. The teams went point for point until a kill by sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and a block assist by Woessner and senior outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) ended the set at 25-23 in favor of the Hawks.
 
Dominican (Ill.) scrapped early on in the second, but a 3-0 Hawk run midway through the set gave New Paltz a 14-11 lead. The Hawks put the set out of reach a few points later with another 3-0 spurt, and a Brian Smith kill swelled the New Paltz cushion to six at 19-13. The Hawks were able to hold off any Star rally in the final points of the set, and New Paltz posted a 25-20 win in the frame.
 
Both teams battled early in the third, but a 5-0 Hawk run midway through the set put New Paltz on top, 16-8. Down 24-14, Dominican (Ill.) made a run, staving off the match-ending point four times before Christian Smith delivered the knockout punch with a kill that spelled out the third-set score of 25-18.
 
Ferriter finished with a match-high 11 kills thanks in part to a dominant showing in the third set, and he fashioned a .318 hitting percentage. Lutjen and Christian Smith contributed 22 and 17 assists, respectively, while Woessner and Ferriter each had three service aces. Senior libero Victor Tuminelli (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) collected a team-high six digs, while Woessner posted five total blocks.
 
For Dominican (Ill.), freshman outside hitter Zachary Sinn keyed the attack with eight kills, while freshman setter Alex Coyne handed out 23 assists. Freshman libero Brooks Nevrly tallied a match-high nine digs, while freshman middle blockers Aidan Spangler and Mason Solbrig each recorded five total blocks.