Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ELMHURST, ILL. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's volleyball team opened up the 2016 campaign with a pair of losses on Friday evening, falling to Aurora and Bluffton in straight sets in the first day of the Elmhurst Invitational.

The Hawks (0-2) will look to bounce back on Saturday against Greenville and North Park, playing at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (CDT), respectively.

Aurora 3, New Paltz 0 (16-25, 17-25, 20-25)

Against the Spartans, senior outside hitter Morgan Roessler (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) led the team with 10 kills and chipped in with six digs. Senior middle hitter Brittany Tyack (Commack, NY/Commack) registered seven kills and three block assists while junior setter Maddie Zwickl (Chester, NY/Warwick Valley) distributed 23 assists. Sophomore outside hitter Marissa Cantelmo (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill) finished with two service aces. The Hawks were limited to a .058 hitting percentage versus Aurora.

After the first set was tied at 7-7, the Spartans went on an 18-9 run to end the opening stanza. The Hawks were trailing 20-12 in set number two but later in the period, Cantelmo floored back-to-back aces to bring New Paltz within six (21-15). Trailing 15-5, New Paltz battled back in the third set with an impressive 9-1 run, led by three Roessler kills, to trim the deficit to 16-14.

Bluffton 3, New Paltz 0 (23-25, 16-25, 20-25)

Versus the Beavers, Roessler again led the attack with nine kills while freshman right side Meghan Keyes (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) tallied seven kills of her own and two aces. Zwickl dished out a team-high 25 assists while junior libero Veronica Matedero (Hauppauge, NY/Hauppauge) and senior outside hitter Anna Paulik (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) paced the Hawks defensively with 13 and 10 digs, respectively.

Despite falling behind 5-2 in the first set, New Paltz responded and knotted the game at 9-9. Following a Tyack kill, the Hawks led 19-16 and were ahead 23-21 but four straight Beaver points ended the opener. Trailing 22-12, the Hawks looked for a late second set rally and climbed to within six (22-16), thanks to two aces by Keyes.

Bluffton began the last set ahead 10-3, forcing New Paltz to call a timeout. After the discussion, the Hawks came within three (11-8) but the Beavers then went on a 6-1 spurt.