Box Score HOBOKEN, N.J. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team got back to its winning ways on Wednesday at Canavan Arena, topping one of its regional rivals, the Stevens Institute of Technology, by a 3-1 (26-24, 19-25, 25-21, 25-14) final.
New Paltz's defense, particularly in the third and fourth sets, helped lead the Hawks to the victory, as the visitors finished with an 8-5 edge in blocks and limited the Ducks to a .147 (46-26-136) hitting percentage. The New Paltz offense did its part, too, hitting at a .219 clip (47-17-137) for the match.
New Paltz rises to 5-5 overall with the win and next competes at the Ramapo Tournament from Friday-Saturday, Sept. 18-19. Stevens drops to 4-6 and hosts the Ducks Classic from Friday-Saturday.
Stevens had the upper hand for much of the first set, and the Ducks seized a 22-15 lead late in the frame. Up 24-20 with set point on the line, Stevens allowed New Paltz to mount a comeback, with the Hawks scoring six straight points. A service ace by sophomore outside hitter
Veronica Matedero (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) gave New Paltz a 26-24 set win.
The Ducks led the entirety of the second set, though the Hawks made things interesting midway through by scoring eight unanswered points to draw within one at 14-13. Four straight Duck points ultimately gave the home team the separation it needed to pull out a 25-19 win in the second.
Back-and-forth play defined most of the third set until New Paltz scored three consecutive points after a timeout to stake itself to a 22-18 advantage. Stevens then scored two straight before the two squads sided each other out until a kill by senior outside hitter
Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) gave New Paltz a 25-21 third-set win.
New Paltz punctuated the evening with a dominant performance in the fourth set, relying on Stevens miscues and strong swings to take the set. The Hawks scored points in bunches the entire frame, with their high-water mark coming after a Borquist kill gave them a 24-10 advantage. After four straight Duck points, Borquist ended the match with a termination.
Borquist floored 17 kills and hit .231 (17-5-52) for the match, while junior outside hitter
Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy) and Matedero joined her in double-digit kill figures with 11 and 10, respectively. Sophomore setter
Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) dished out 41 assists, while junior defensive specialist
Meg Kinee (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) served up four aces. Junior
Anna Paulik (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) shined in her first intercollegiate match as a libero, defending 25 digs, while Borquist tallied 10 digs to complete a double-double.
For Stevens, junior outside hitter Mary Tobin and sophomore outside hitter Brianna Evans registered 15 kills apiece, while senior setter Catie Sheldon handed out 35 assists and floored three service aces. Sophomore libero Sydni Horner and Tobin paced the back row defensively with 25 and 15 digs, respectively.
