Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The No. 1 ranked State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team remains unbeaten against Division III teams as the Hawks defeated No. 2 Springfield College, 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 25-22, 23-35, 15-11), in their final tune-up match before the United Volleyball Conference (UVC) Tournament from April 8-10.

New Paltz concludes the regular season 28-2 overall and earned the No. 1 seed in the UVC playoffs with an 8-0 league mark. The Hawks will host the entire six-team tournament and will face either No. 4 seed Nazareth College or No. 5 seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the semifinals on Saturday, April 9, at 2:30 p.m. in the Hawk Center. Springfield drops to 24-3 overall and next faces MIT on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 p.m.

Springfield carried a slight 5-3 edge in the opening set but the Hawks were quick to catch up as three errors committed by the Pride sent New Paltz ahead, 6-5. Springfield tied the score on a kill by junior setter Luis Garcia Rubio, but a kill by junior middle blocker/opposite Jake Roessler (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and a service ace floored by senior outside hitter Andy Fishman (Cornwallville, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) handed New Paltz a two-point lead.

The Pride trailed the Hawks closely until they pushed a 4-1 run to take a 14-10 lead, but New Paltz dished out three straight points to regain the advantage and force Springfield to take a timeout. The teams continued to trade points throughout the set with the Pride cutting the score to 24-23 but Roessler floored the kill to give New Paltz the set win.

Springfield came out swinging in the second set, as the Pride jumped ahead to a 12-7 lead. New Paltz worked its way to cut the deficit, eventually slicing the score to 20-16 on a 4-0 spurt. After a brief time out by the Pride, Springfield pushed a 5-1 run to earn the win for a 1-all match.

Even though Springfield held a 4-2 advantage in the start of the third frame, Roessler floored back-to-back kills to tie the score. After trading several points, the Hawks grabbed a 15-13 lead, but the Pride battled back to level the playing field. Once more the teams found themselves in a battle for the lead until New Paltz capitalized on several Springfield errors to push ahead, 23-20. Sophomore outside hitter Anthony Bonilla (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) capped off the win for the Hawks, flooring back-to-back kills.

In the fourth set, the score remained close early on but Springfield recorded four unanswered points to charge ahead, 9-6. The Pride continued to hold a three-point lead over the Hawks, but Bonilla and Roessler added a kill each to cut the score to 12-11. However, Springfield refused to relinquish its lead as the Pride pushed a 6-2 burst for an 18-13 margin. The Hawks stayed close behind, trimming the deficit to 24-23, but a service error committed by junior opposite Joe Norman (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) gave Springfield its second set win and forced the match into a deciding set.

The Hawks were relentless in the final frame, taking a 7-2 advantage early. They would fall prey to the Pride, as Springfield capitalized on several New Paltz errors for a close 7-6 score. The teams briefly traded points until senior middle blocker Christopher Husmann (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and Norman floored a kill each to give the Hawks a two-point lead. The Pride fought hard to catch up but would only cut the score to 14-11 before Norman floored the match-winning kill, handing the Hawks their 27th straight win.

Although New Paltz held an 8-2 advantage in service aces and a 10-9 edge in blocks, Springfield hit .307 (58-23-114) for the match while holding the Hawks to a .239 clip (54-22-134).

Roessler tallied 14 kills for the Hawks' offense, while Husmann chipped in 10 kills and three service aces. Senior setter Christian Smith (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) dished out 49 assists and added four blocks (one solo, three assists). Defensively, senior libero Kevin Nardone (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) provided a team-high nine digs, while Smith contributed four digs.

For the Pride, senior right side Greg Woods totaled 17 kills, while junior outside hitter Luis Vega also added 17 kills and provided 12 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Ricardo Padilla Ayala and freshman libero Eli Irizarry Pares defended 10 digs each for the defense, while junior setter Luis Garcia Rubio doled out 52 assists in the loss.