Box Score NEW YORK – Playing its first match since Jan. 24, the No. 4 ranked State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team did not miss a beat, defeating No. 11 New York University (NYU) in straight sets on Thursday night, 25-21, 25-12, 25-20 at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center.
Playing in front of a packed gymnasium, the Hawks enjoyed a .328 attack percentage while holding the host Violets to just a .062 attack percentage for the match. Freshman outside hitter
Anthony Bonilla (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) continued his early season success, recording a team-high eight kills. Junior middle blocker
Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) tallied seven kills (7-2-10) and a .500 attack percentage.
Junior setter
Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Masspequa) registered 15 assists, four kills, four digs, two block assists and a .800 attack percentage (4-0-5). Senior setter
John Lutjen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) tallied 11 assists, two service aces and three digs. Sophomore middle blocker
Steven Woessner (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and junior outside hitter
Andy Fishman (Cornwallville, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) both recorded four kills apiece for New Paltz.
The Hawks improve to 3-0 on the young season and will travel to Division-I opponent Sacred Heart on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. The Violets, meanwhile, move to 3-2 and will prepare for their first United Volleyball Conference (UVC) weekend at Elmira on Feb. 15, taking on the Soaring Eagles and Vassar.
In the first set, the Hawks trailed 3-2 but went on a quick 4-0 run, including a pair of kills by Woessner, to claim a 7-2 lead. NYU answered and climbed within two (7-5) but again New Paltz responded as Bonilla tallied two kills to give the Hawks a 10-5 lead, prompting the Violets to call a timeout.
The timeout aided NYU as the Violets tied the set at 10-10. The scored went back-and-forth from that point with neither team claiming more than a three-point lead until the Hawks went up by four (22-18) after a Husmann kill. Following an attack error by the Violets, NYU called another timeout, trailing 23-18. Once again, the home team came out of the break and got within two to force New Paltz to take a timeout of their own. After a service error by NYU, Fishman clinched the first set with an ace.
The second set was all New Paltz as the Hawks hit .643 and held NYU to a negative attack percentage (-.200). The Hawks jumped out to a commanding 10-1 lead as Woessner picked up points on seven-straight serves. Even after a pair of timeouts by NYU, New Paltz still dominated the set. Fishman picked up points on three-straight serves to give the Hawks a 23-9 advantage and kills by freshman middle blocker
Nick Denoncourt (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) and Lutjen put the second stanza away.
NYU rebounded in the third and final set, however, but New Paltz proved to be too much. The set started out back-and-forth but the Hawks began to pull away, taking a 13-9 lead. The Violets got within two (13-11) until kills by Bonilla and Woessner along with a Lutjen ace handed a six-point lead (18-12) back to the Hawks.
New Paltz surrendered a few points to NYU to trim the lead down to four (23-19), however kills by Husmann and freshman setter
Mitchell Kennedy (Penfield, N.Y./Fairport) gave the Hawks the key, early season non-conference win in a battle of nationally-ranked teams and UVC rivals.
