The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team has started to find their rhythm after a slow start to the season, and with their first weekend of games coming up the Hawks feel ready to start their conference schedule. The team will travel to Bard College to take on the Raptors as well as No. 15 Elmira College to begin their United Volleyball Conference season.
 
SUNY New Paltz has won every matchup against the Soaring Eagles since 2012 and has not lost a match to Bard College dating back to the 2005. Despite the recent success against both teams, the Hawks know they play in the toughest volleyball conference in the country and that every match is important.
 
Elmira College enters the weekend matchup just one spot below SUNY New Paltz in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, partly due to a big five-set win over No. 6 Dominican University (Ill). The Soaring Eagles have more match-play under their belts and post a 10-4 overall record, as well as a UVC win over the Raptors.
 
SUNY New Paltz and Elmira College and fifth and fourth in the conference, respectively, in team hitting percentage entering the weekend. However, the Hawks have been without their top offensive weapon from last season, Anthony Bonilla, and have been dealing with a few other injuries that have affected the first portion of their season. The Soaring Eagles spread the ball around their offense, running four different options efficiently. Ryan McDonough, Dan Symer, Matthew Buffum, and Jose Malave pace their attack totaling 138, 133, 132, and 115 kills, respectively. All four of them also have a hitting percentage over .200 on the season so the Hawks won't be able to key in on just stopping one weapon.  Elmira College runs a one-setter offense through the hands of junior setter Jeremy Best, who is averaging 9.87 assists per set on the year. SUNY New Paltz is holding their opponents to a .217 hitting percentage on the season, and it will be key for them to hold the Soaring Eagles at, or below that .200 mark.
 
Bard College has yet to win a game this season, but has played a tough non-conference schedule and will have the home-court advantage for the weekend. The Raptors rely heavily on two primary options in their offense with Stefan Briggs and Tyler Zowaski receiving just over 60 percent of their swings. The big block from the Hawks will be able to key in on Briggs and Zowaski, which will hopefully keep them at, or below their average hitting percentage of .09 and .007, respectively.
 
The Hawks come into the UVC crossover winning three of their last four, including a five-set win over Division I opponent Harvard University in the opening round of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic. In their home opener on Wednesday against SUNY Polytechnic, junior outside hitter Nick Smith had an offensive explosion racking up 14 kills with just one error on 17 swings for a .765 hitting percentage. Smith wasn't the only one to record an efficient day as SUNY New Paltz recorded a season high .508 hitting percentage. Head Coach Radu Petrus recently made a change in offensive strategy going to a one-setter offense through the hands of sophomore Matthew Grace. Grace has tallied 211 assists at an average of 7.54 per set and his favorite target throughout the year has been Smith. Smith has 86 kills on 181 attempts for a .293 hitting percentage while only Aaron Carrk and Bradley Schneider have over 100 attempts, but both are averaging below .200 on the season. The rotation of middle hitters have been more efficient for the Hawks with co-captain Ryan Cole hitting .392, sophomore Tevin Skeete at .357, sophomore Nick O'Malley at .324, and senior Nick Denoncourt at .280. Defensively, SUNY New Paltz is led by sophomore libero Robert Nolan who consistently sets up the offense with precision passing as well as leading the team in digs at a rate of 1.71 per set.
 
The Hawks face off against the Soaring Eagles on Saturday at 3:30 and follow it up on Sunday against the host, Bard College, at 1:30.