Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

MAHWAH, N.J. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team kicked off the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday with a split, falling, 3-2 (25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-13), to Ithaca College before knocking off host Ramapo College, 3-1 (25-23, 17-25, 25-17, 25-22).
 
New Paltz moves to 6-6 overall with the results and will look to add two more to the win column tomorrow when it faces the University of Scranton (1 p.m.) and St. Joseph's (LI) College (3 p.m.).
 
Ithaca 3, New Paltz 2
 
Three close sets that went Ithaca's way proved to be the difference in the Hawks' first match of the day, as they won sets two and four by decisive margins. New Paltz finished with a .313-to-.251 edge in hitting percentage, an 11-9 cushion in service aces and a 6-1 margin in total team blocks.
 
The Hawks' offense ran through senior outside hitter Becca Borquist (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck), junior middle hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and junior right side Katy Braddon (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Academy), who notched 23, 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Sophomore setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley) tied her career-high in assists with 59, while Zwickl and junior defensive specialist Rachel Pierson (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink Valley) landed three service aces apiece. Borquist and Zwickl finished with double-doubles, as the two tallied 15 and 10 digs, respectively, while Pierson's 16 digs served as the team high. Roessler excelled at the net defensively with four total blocks (two solo, two assist).
 
For Ithaca, sophomore outside hitter Joelle Goldsten pounded out 17 kills, while sophomore setter Kayla Gromen doled out 52 assists. Freshman outside hitter Hailey Adler and senior libero Dylan Gawinski-Stern tied for the match high in digs with 17 each.
 
New Paltz 3, Ramapo 1
 
The Hawks bounced back in the nightcap, holding the home team to a .071 hitting percentage to cruise to a four-set win. The Roadrunners did, however, best New Paltz in both service aces (9-5) and blocks (7-5).
 
Borquist led New Paltz with 15 kills and 13 digs, while Roessler also reached double figures in kills with 11. Zwickl distributed 34 assists, while Pierson racked up 19 digs to pace the back row defensively.
 
For Ramapo, sophomore outside hitter Larysa Iwaskiw terminated 17 kills, but was held to a .039 hitting percentage to limit her impact on the match offensively. Iwaskiw made up for that on the defensive end, though, with a match-high 24 digs. Senior setter Kaitlin Mac Iver kept the offense moving with 32 assists.