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NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – For the second time in program history, the top-ranked State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team can call itself United Volleyball Conference (UVC) champions, as the Hawks downed the fourth-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-20), in the UVC Tournament final on Sunday at the Hawk Center.
 
Senior setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), the 2016 UVC Player of the Year, added to his haul of postseason awards by earning UVC Tournament MVP honors. Senior outside hitter Andy Fishman (Cornwallville, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) and senior libero Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) joined Smith on the All-Tournament Team along with senior outside hitter Tim Zyburt from Nazareth College, sophomore middle hitter Matthew Knigge from Vassar College and senior outside hitters Chris Vaughan and Tim Ferriter from Stevens.
 
"It felt really good," Smith said when asked about how it felt to win the championship on New Paltz's home court. "We had a nice crowd, and we came out with a lot of energy today. We passed and served way better than we did yesterday. I think, overall, the team was really focused. Kevin did a great job on defense, and we blocked really well. Those things led us to a nice win today."

New Paltz, the top seed in the UVC Tournament, rises to 30-2 overall and stretches its winning streak to 29 with the victory. The Hawks, who have yet to lose to an NCAA Division III team this season, became just the fifth team in program history to reach the 30-win plateau, as New Paltz won at least 30 matches from 1984-87. New Paltz earned the UVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament with the victory and will learn of its placement in the bracket when it is released during a selection show tomorrow at 10 a.m. at www.ncaa.com/liveschedule. Stevens, the No. 2 seed in the UVC Tournament, drops to 28-6 overall with the loss and hopes to be one of the two Pool "C" at-large selections into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Hawks put up a stout defensive front in the first set, holding the Ducks to -.059 hitting. Stevens stayed within striking distance until three straight kills by sophomore outside hitter Anthony Bonilla (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) staked the home team to a 15-8 lead. The two teams traded points until a 3-0 surge gave New Paltz a 21-11 advantage. After Stevens scored three of the next four points, the Hawks closed the set with three consecutive points, and a kill by senior middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) gave New Paltz a 25-14 win in the first.
 
After three unanswered points to start the second set, things looked to be well in favor of New Paltz, but Stevens turned the tables with a 3-0 run of its own to tie the score. A back-and-forth battle ensued, and the Ducks opened up an 11-9 lead following a kill by Ferriter. The Hawks countered with a 4-0 spurt, with a Fishman kill giving New Paltz a 13-11 lead. The two teams continued to battle back and forth until two consecutive Duck miscues gave New Paltz a 23-19 edge. Stevens battled back, though, with a block assist by junior middle hitter Jordan Stuart and Ferriter, a Hawk attacking error and a kill by junior outside hitter Gabe Shankweiler pulling the Ducks within one. Following a New Paltz timeout, the Hawks received a timely kill from junior opposite Jake Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa), but Vaughan answered right back with a termination of his own to force yet another Hawk timeout with set point on the line. New Paltz finished off Stevens in the set, however, with a Fishman kill on the ensuing rally, giving the Hawks a 25-23 victory in the second.
 
New Paltz broke a 3-all tie with three straight points, and a Fishman service ace handed the Hawks a 6-3 advantage. The two teams traded points until the Hawks rode the hot hand of Bonilla, who registered three straight kills before a Roessler service ace gave New Paltz an 11-5 edge and forced a Stevens timeout. The Hawks led by as many as nine in the set (20-11), but the Ducks mounted a comeback, slowly chipping away before a three-point tear pulled them within four at 22-18. From that point forward, the two teams sided each other out until Roessler put away the match-ending kill.
 
New Paltz hit .282 (44-13-110) on the match, which included hitting percentages of .438 and .387 in the first and third sets, respectively. Stevens, meanwhile, was limited to a season-low .075 hitting percentage (27-19-106). The Hawks held a 6-4 advantage in total team blocks, while both teams finished with two aces. In a match that saw several long rallies kept alive by strong back-row defense, New Paltz finished with a 54-48 margin in digs.
 
The Hawks set to the outside early and often in the match, with Bonilla and Fishman each flooring 12 kills. Smith backed up his reputation with a 32-assist, nine-dig performance that also included three kills and one solo block. Bonilla completed the double-double with 12 digs, while Nardone defended a match-high and season-high-tying 15 digs.
 
For Stevens, Ferriter led the way with nine kills, 11 digs and two service aces. Senior setter John Eddins and junior setter Scott Russell combined for 24 assists, while Shankweiler posted 10 digs. Sophomore middle hitter Thomas Burrell hit .500 (3-0-6) for the match and added three block assists.

New Paltz will be making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks, whose other UVC title came in 2014, have advanced to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in each of its previous two appearances.