Box Score

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked No. 2 State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team can add yet another accomplishment to its résumé this season, as the second-seeded Hawks downed eighth-seeded New York University, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-22), in the championship final of the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament Sunday afternoon at Nazareth College's Kidera Gymnasium. Furthermore, freshman middle blocker Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) was named the Tournament MVP.

It marks the Hawks' first-ever UVC title, and New Paltz becomes the first team other than Nazareth to hoist the championship plaque. The Golden Flyers won the title from 2011-13, but NYU upset the top-seeded hosts in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Saturday to ensure a changing of the guard at the top of the conference.
 
New Paltz moves to 27-3 overall and earns the UVC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The entire NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday, with the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds occurring from April 25-27 at Juniata College in Huntington, Pa. NYU finishes its season at 18-11 overall.
 
Woessner totaled 13 service aces for the tournament, including five in the championship match, to earn the Tournament MVP honor. Even as a freshman, Woessner understands the significance of the Hawks' championship for both the program and the College.
 
"It's one of the greatest feelings, especially as a freshman, to win a UVC championship," Woessner said. "It's a great thing for the program. It will help put New Paltz on the map, and things can only go up from here."
 
New Paltz's current team harkens back to the excellent Hawk teams of years past as New Paltz won five Eastern Collegiate Volleyball League (ECVL) "B" Tournament championships (1975, 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986). The Hawks have now ushered in a new era of excellence, bringing home the team's first title since a 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship. Furthermore, it marks the first non-ECAC conference championship for a New Paltz varsity men's athletic program since the Hawks' men's swimming team won a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title in 1988-89.

Woessner, who also earned UVC Co-Rookie of the Year honors earlier on in the week, said that the championship experience was enhanced by the teammates around him.
 
"It's definitely a great feeling to win with this team, who I consider family," Woessner said. "We definitely have our goals set on a national championship in a couple of weekends. The team still has work to do, but we will play our best down the line."

The Hawks' aggressive approach on the service line and on the attack paid off, with New Paltz landing seven service aces and hitting .329 with 39 kills and just 14 errors in 76 total attempts. With neither team able to produce much defense at the net—the Hawks finished with a 4-1 edge in total team blocks—the back rows shined, particularly for New Paltz. Three Hawk student-athletes finished with five or more digs, and the team combined for 29 total—an average of 9.67 per set.
 
New Paltz jumped out to an early lead in the first set, seizing an 8-2 lead after going on a 7-0 run. NYU wound up battling back and whittled the Hawk lead to one at 14-13, but a 4-0 New Paltz surge gave the Hawks the separation they needed to pull out the set one win. Senior outside hitter Brian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) floored back-to-back kills to close out the set, as the Hawks won 25-17.
 
After various swings of momentum early in the second set, New Paltz once again turned to the usual suspects to gain a sizable advantage, as sophomore outside hitter Tim Ferriter (Rochester, N.Y./West Irondequoit) and sophomore middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) combined for three kills in a 4-0 Hawk run that swelled a New Paltz lead to 18-13. Both teams traded points until Woessner returned to the service line, and Woessner helped engineer a four-point spurt to end the second set with two service aces. New Paltz also won the second by a 25-17 score.
 
The Violets led for portions of the third set, but an NYU miscue opened the door for a Hawk team prone to capitalizing on mistakes. With the score tied at 21-all, the Violets misfired on a serve to give New Paltz the lead. Brian Smith then blasted down a kill to give the Hawks a 23-21 cushion, which forced an NYU timeout. After an NYU point, the setter-to-setter connection of Christian Smith to junior John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) brought up match point, and a solo block by Husmann handed the Hawks a 25-22 match-clinching win in the third.
 
Brian Smith and Ferriter keyed the Hawk attack with 10 kills each, while Christian Smith and Lutjen dished out 18 and 16 assists, respectively. Brian Smith paced the back row on defense with six digs, while Husmann posted two solo blocks.
 
For NYU, freshman outside hitter Chase Klein led the way with eight kills and three service aces, while senior setter Connor Mortland doled out 23 assists in his final collegiate match. Sophomore outside hitter Colin LaPorte was instrumental defensively with seven digs.