Box Score

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team floored 18 service aces en route to a 3-1 (25-21, 25-11, 22-25, 25-10) victory over Hartwick College on Friday during the first day of the Skidmore Invitational hosted by Skidmore College.
 
Both teams were nearly unstoppable from the service line, with New Paltz finishing with an 18-10 edge in that statistical category. The Hawks also ended the match with a 9-1 cushion in blocks while hitting .200 on the contest.
 
New Paltz rises to 20-9 overall with the win and closes out its regular season tomorrow against Union (N.Y.) College (1 p.m.) and host Skidmore (3 p.m.). Hartwick falls to 9-21 and meets up with SUNY Potsdam (11 a.m.) and SUNY Geneseo (1 p.m.) tomorrow in its final matches of the season.
 
Hartwick took advantage of New Paltz miscues in the early goings of the first set to mount a 5-0 lead, but the Hudson Valley-based Hawks went on a 9-0 tear midway through the stanza to capture a 17-14 advantage. Hartwick scored six of the next seven points to stake itself to a 20-18 edge, but a 6-0 New Paltz run that was capped off with a kill by sophomore setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) brought up set point at 24-20. After a Hartwick point, junior middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) slammed down the set-clinching kill.
 
A 9-0 spurt for New Paltz in the second set ultimately set the tone for set two, as the Hudson Valley-based Hawks cruised to a 25-11 win in the second.
 
Hartwick never trailed in the third set, and while a stretch of seven straight New Paltz points made things interesting midway through the frame, Hartwick staved off its opponent to post a 25-22 victory in the third.
 
The two teams battled in the fourth set, but New Paltz ultimately pulled away, scoring points in bunches before closing the match on an 8-0 tear. Junior defensive specialist Anna Paulik (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) punctuated the contest with a service ace, her fifth of the match, to give New Paltz the 25-10 match-clinching win in the fourth.
 
Paulik led a balanced New Paltz attack with nine kills, while junior right side Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) and Roessler notched eight kills apiece. Zwickl dished out 27 assists, while Paulik and senior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) landed five and four service aces, respectively. Defensively, junior defensive specialist Meg Kinee (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) defended 12 digs, while Roessler totaled seven blocks, which were the most for a Hawk in a four-set match since 2005.
 
For Hartwick, sophomore outside hitter Kayla Barli keyed the offense with nine kills, while freshman setter Jamie Reidy and junior setter Quincy Kinzel issued 12 and 10 assists, respectively. Sophomore libero Ashley Werner corralled a match-high 14 digs.