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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team kicked off the 13th-annual Hawks Invitational with a pair of wins on Friday at the Hawk Center, defeating The Sage Colleges, 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-13), and New York University, 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 26-24).
 
New Paltz rises to 3-4 overall with the wins and finishes out action at the Hawks Invitational tomorrow against Mount Saint Mary College (11 a.m.) and Stockton University (3 p.m.).
 
New Paltz 3, Sage 0
 
New Paltz posted seven total team blocks and hit .189 against Sage while limiting the Gators to a .066 hitting percentage.
 
The Hawks started out hot in the first set, hitting .415 en route to a 25-19 set win. In the second set, New Paltz rallied from five points down midway through the frame to capture a 25-22 victory in the stanza. Finally, the Hawks fought off set point five times in the third set, and after the Gators took a 25-24 lead, New Paltz scored three straight points to seal the win.
 
Sophomore libero Veronica Matedero (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and junior middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) each tallied a match-high nine kills, while senior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) hit .533 (8-0-15) in just one set of action. Sophomore setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) dished out 38 assists and added 10 digs for the double-double, while Roessler totaled four blocks.
 
For Sage, junior outside hitter Michayla Berard picked up seven kills, while junior setter Rachel Liebig handed out 21 assists. Junior outside hitter Siena Wilder paced the back row defensively with 13 digs.
 
New Paltz 3, NYU 1
 
In a match that took nearly two hours, New Paltz overcame a slow start in the first set and crescendoed with a strong showing late in the fourth to pull out the victory.
 
The Hawks hit .243 for the match and held the Violets to .076 hitting while finishing with a 7-6 edge in blocks and an 11-9 advantage in service aces.
 
NYU powered to an early lead in the first set, mounting an 8-2 cushion before New Paltz called its first timeout. While the Hawks did end up claiming a modest 14-13 lead, the Violets rattled off seven straight points and ended up posting a 25-23 win in the first.
 
Eight straight points staked New Paltz to an 8-3 lead in the second, which was an advantage the Hawks did not relinquish the rest of the set. New Paltz ended the frame on a 4-0 run, with a Violet attacking error handing the home team a 25-16 triumph in the set.
 
Once again, an early advantage paid dividends for the Hawks, as they stormed out to a 7-1 lead in the third set. NYU drew within one at 9-8, but that wound up being the closest the Violets would get the rest of the frame, as the Hawks scored points in bunches to capture a 25-17 set-three triumph.
 
Back-and-forth play dominated the majority of the fourth set, and NYU ended up with an upper hand late after scoring three straight points to take a 22-20 lead. New Paltz scored three consecutive points of its own, with a Borquist ace giving the home team a 23-22 edge, and the two teams traded points until a kill by junior right side Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) and an NYU attacking error gave the Hawks the set and match victory.
 
Matedero starred for the Hawks in the match, hitting at a .611 (12-1-18) clip while defending 21 digs to complete the double-double. She also added four assists and two service aces. Borquist and Braddon also reached double figures in kills, registering 18 and 10, respectively. Zwickl kept the offense running with 48 assists and provided 13 digs to complete the double-double, while Borquist also posted a double-double with 10 digs. Junior libero Meg Kinee (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) reached double figures in digs, too, with 16 on the match. Zwickl helped reinforce a stout defense at the net for the Hawks with five block assists.
 
For NYU, senior middle blocker Nicole Frias floored 10 kills, while freshman setter Daryl Mitchell handed out 31 assists. Sophomore libero Brooke Tannahill defended 24 digs and landed four service aces.