Box Score New Paltz, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team fought hard against top-ranked Springfield College Thursday, and handed them their first loss of a set to a Division III opponent this season, but ultimately fell 20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 17-25.
 
It was the second match of the year between the two teams who have traded national titles the past couple seasons, but the Pride are now 2-0 against the Hawks this year and 20-1 overall, while SUNY New Paltz fall to 11-5.
 
"Overall they played better than us and they were better in system," said Hawks coach Radu Petrus. "We couldn't put them out of system and that was the reason they won the game."
 
Senior co-captain Ryan Cole got SUNY New Paltz going early on in the match, recording three kills in the first five points won. Cole and the rest of the team hung in the first set, but could never bring the score back in their favor after trailing 7-3 early on. The Hawks brought the score back to a one-point difference four times in the set, but couldn't capitalize and take the upper hand. Following a kill by junior outside hitter Nick Smith that brought the score to 20-22, the Pride ran three consecutive points to close out the opening set.
 
Springfield College carried the momentum right into the next set, winning five of the first six points. The Pride continued to dominate the Hawks and built their lead to a 11-point difference at 19-8. However, SUNY New Paltz refused to roll over and fought back to give its sevles some confidence going into the third set. Partially due to a big serving run by senior middle blocker Nick Denoncourt, the Hawks won 11 of the last 17 points to drop the set 19-25.
 
After being swept by Springfield College the first time around, SUNY New Paltz was determined not to let that happen on its home court. The two teams traded points throughout the beginning of the set, but with the score tied at 12, the Hawk Center came alive.

With the Hawks slightly pulling ahead, up 14-13, Smith sent the home crowd into a frenzy after pounding a ball right down the line and into the face of an unsuspecting Springfield defender. With the gym sensing a third set win on the horizon, sophomore Bradley Schneider put a huge exclamation point on the set with a monster solo block at 22-16. The Hawks took the set 25-20 and handed the Pride their first loss of a set to a DIII opponent this season.
 
SUNY New Paltz had Springfield College on its heels and after a Denoncourt kill and ace in back-to-back points, the Hawks took an early 5-3 advantage. However, the Pride answered right back and won five of the next six points to take back the lead. SUNY New Paltz hung tough for most of the set and tied the score at 12, but ultimately the top-ranked team in the nation was too much to handle and toppled the Hawks, 25-17.
 
Cole led the offense for SUNY New Paltz, tallying a season-high 19 kills. He was the top option for sophomore setter Matthew Grace who consistently found success setting Cole out of the back row. Grace racked up 39 assists on the day, while Smith also turned in a solid performance with 12 kills on 26 attempts with five errors for a .269 hitting percentage. Grace also led the team in digs with eight.
 
"After this game we can see where we have to improve and what the problems are that we need to fix for the next time we play them," said Petrus. "It was a good test for us and they are a good team. Hopefully it was good preparation for us heading into UVC play this weekend."
 
The Hawks play St. John Fisher Saturday in the Hawk Center at 4 p.m. and then Nazareth College the following day at 3 p.m. in two crucial UVC matchups. Be sure to follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Instagram and Facebook for updates, highlights, videos, photos and more.