Thousand Oak, CA- In a true back-and-forth showdown, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's volleyball team powered through when it mattered most to beat the No. 8 team in the AVCA coaches poll for the second time this week.

The Hawks took down Cal Lutheran University 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 28-26, 20-25, 15-13) Friday in their last match of the California trip to move to 5-1 on the year overall. SUNY New Paltz will have 12 days to prepare for its next match against Ramapo College, it's last non-conference game before United Volleyball Conference (UVC) play begins.

"We had great competition all trip, so it was a good start to our season," said Hawks head coach Radu Petrus. "Our players are more motivated after this trip, and are ready to work in practice and improve their game."

Allowing multiple errors early in the first set, SUNY New Paltz handed the lead to the Kingsmen, 8-6. A kill by senior outside hitter Nick Smith to make it 8-9 was the spark the Hawks needed, scoring four unanswered points to go in front 11-9. Cal Lutheran University answered quickly however, as the Kingsmen came up with five unanswered points of their own to take the lead back, and force a SUNY New Paltz timeout.

The Hawks came up with an even stronger response than earlier in the set after the timeout, with a kill by senior outside hitter and setter Bradley Schneider allowing SUNY New Paltz to go on a 6-0 run and go back in front 17-15. A timeout by Cal Lutheran University was the remedy it needed, answering with a 5-2 run to take the lead back, 20-19.

With the Hawks pushing to gain a 24-22 advantage, a kill by the Kingsmen to make it 24-23 forced coach Petrus to call a timeout once again. It worked in SUNY New Paltz's favor, as a kill by junior outside hitter Aaron Carrk pushed the Hawks ahead to the 25-23 set win to take the lead in the match.

SUNY New Paltz faltered early in the second set, falling to Cal Lutheran University 4-9. With the Kingsmen offense showing no signs of stopping, a kill by Smith and two attack errors brought the Hawks back in the set for the first time at 15-19, and forced Cal Lutheran University to call another timeout.

The Hawks could not stop the Kingsmen gameplan, as two kills and a service ace by Cal Lutheran University propelled the Kingsmen ahead 22-15 with the set in their hands. They would grab the 25-17 set victory to tie the match at one.

For most of the third set, SUNY New Paltz was forced to trail Cal Lutheran University by no more than two points. Down 14-15, a service ace allowed the Hawks to tie the set at 15, and a kill by Smith pushed them ahead for their first lead of the set, 16-15. The Kingsmen quickly answered once again, mustering four unanswered points to take the lead back, 19-16.

With SUNY New Paltz down 19-22, multiple attack errors and a kill by Carrk tied the set once again for the Hawks at 22, forcing a Cal Lutheran University timeout. A hard fought battle to the finish line, SUNY New Paltz received two opportunities to cap the set at 25-24 and 26-25, but two more kills by Smith in the clutch was enough for the Hawks to win the set 28-26, and push ahead to earn a 2-1 advantage in the match.

The Kingsmen proved they were not going down without a fight in the fourth set, gaining a 7-10 lead and forcing coach Petrus to go over the gameplan with his team. SUNY New Paltz stayed close behind, with an attack error and kill by junior setter Matthew Grace bringing the Hawks within one at 16-17, and forcing Cal Lutheran University to call a timeout of its own.

Using the stoppage to their advantage, the Kingsmen came out with a 5-1 run to go up 22-17 and gain full momentum in the set. The Hawks were unable to come up with an answer for Cal Lutheran University's offense, ultimately giving up the set 20-25 to tie the match again at two.

SUNY New Paltz was not ready for the Kingsmen's offense again early in the fifth and final set, falling 0-4. A kill by junior outside hitter Riley Dolan, a service ace and two kills by Schneider however, allowed the Hawks to climb right back and tie the set at seven.

Holding the lead at 13-11, SUNY New Paltz gave up two crucial errors to tie the set again with the Kingsmen at 13. A kill by Dolan and a service ace by junior middle blocker Nick O'Malley was enough for the Hawks to grab the set, 15-13, and win the hard fought match against the top-10 team in the country.

SUNY New Paltz will return to action Jan. 30 at the Hawk Center against Ramapo College. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks,Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.